


Thrice Widowed Wolf

by ancient2new



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Catelyn isn't alive anymore, Do not take this too serious, F/M, Gen, I am just having fun, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2020-12-09 16:42:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 22,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20998025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ancient2new/pseuds/ancient2new
Summary: Ned Stark is a three-time widower. Each of his wifes had born him triplets and died because of that. We are not going to talk about these sad deaths though because this Story starts many years later.The Starks are not exactly like you know them.





	1. Introduction of Eddard Stark

Introduction....

The thrice widowed Wolf Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North

Born 263 AC in Winterfell

married from 282 AC until her death 283 AC to Catelyn Tully.

married from 285 AC until her death 287 AC to Barbrey Ryswell, widow of Willem Dustin

married from 288 AC until her death 290 AC to Hanna Reed, sister of Howland Reed

Father to  
Robb, Mina (Minisa) and Sansa, triplets born in 283 AC

Arya, Rickon and Rodrik, triplets born in 287 AC

Lyarra, Melantha and Bran, triplets born in 290 AC

'Father'(Uncle) to Jon Snow, born 283 AC  
.........................  
Is a true father to his people, works hard to make the life better for his smallfolk and is adored by the peasants and Nobles of the North alike.

Killed Victarion Greyjoy with the Help of the Greatjon during the Greyjoy Rebellion.

Beheaded Roose Bolton and the Bastard Ramsay Snow in the Year 297 AC, Ramsay for the Kinslaying of Domeric Bolton and Roose for not speaking Justice himself.

Agreed in 298 AC to become Hand of the King, Robert Baratheon.


	2. Chapter 2

Ned Stark had just weeks ago become the new Lord of Winterfell because of the horrible deaths of his father and older brother, when he married in Riverrun for the first time.

His wife was the former Bride of his older brother, Lady Catelyn Tully. In the same Ceremony his former Fosterfather Jon Arron married Lady Lysa Arryn.

Both newlywed men spent only two nights each with their Wives before they left for War.

Lady Lysa Arryn had not the luck to get pregnant in this time but Lady Catelyn Stark did and while the men fought against the Targaryens and the loyalists and finally won, Lady Starks pregnant belly grew enormously large.

While her husband was lifting the Siege on Storm's End, Lady Stark gave birth to triplets, a boy and two girls, all with her hair and her eye color. Then Lady Catelyn Stark died.

Lord Eddard Stark came to Riverrun with a baby boy in his arms, the Child of his sister Lyanna and Rhaegar Targaryen, which he though claimed to be his Bastard Child by Ashara Dayne.

Lord Tully was angry about that but Lord Stark didn't care and claimed that it was his right to do so and bring his Bastard along because Lady Ashara killed herself. Then Lord Stark took his Triplets Robb and Sansa and Mina, short for Minisa, with him too, seeing as they were his legal heirs.

Lord Eddard had lost too many good friends during the War, his search and following fight for his sisters freedom had cost him even more good men and after his sister then died in his arms, all these loses turned his desire to enlarge his family up to be his highest wish.

In 285 AC, a year after Lord Eddard Stark arrived back in Winterfell with his people, his three Children and three nurses, he married again. His second Bride was the widow of Lord Willem Dustin, Lady Barbrey nee Ryswell, who was once deflowered by Lord Eddards older Brother.

Lady Barbrey Stark would have liked it more to be the wife of her first lover but in the end she was satisfied enough to be the Lady of Winterfell and even congratulated the new Lord of Barrowton, a distant Cousin of her first Husband, with best wishes for the future.

She soon got pregnant and Lord Eddard was satisfied by that. Sadly enough, this wife too, died while giving birth to triplets.  
While Arya and Rickon and Rodric cried powerfully, their mother bleed to death in the late days of 287 AC.

These children of Lord Eddard not only both looked entirely Stark but also showed even as babes that they had the Wolfsblood, so wild they behaved.

Lord Stark sighed but then nodded to himself and looked for a new wife.

A good year after his second wife died, he married anew, this time a Lady Hanna Reed, the sister of his good friend Howland.

Lady Hanna Stark was a Greenseer, which she never told anyone outside of the Neck besides her husband and while she was of a slight build, she was unafraid of anything and showed that when she had to take full responsibility of the North during her pregnancy while her husband and his men fought down the Greyjoy Rebellion alongside with the Southern Realms.  
Lady Hanna gave birth of Triplets too, the boy was called Bran and the Girls Lyarra and Melantha. All three children had the colors of House Stark and the features of House Reed. Lady Hanna never got up from her bed but hold on to her live till the moment that her husband got through the door of her bedroom.  
She smiled at him one last time and then died.

Lord Eddard Stark began to think that maybe some bad luck spell had been spoken on him years ago but by whom?

He decided about a year later to look for the most robust Wife that he could possibly find and then send letters everywhere but most Ladys were not interested in being Lady of Winterfell for maybe two years only to then die because of a triplet birth.

Because that was what Lord Eddard became known for, for fathering Triplets. The unmarried Ladys of Westeros were afraid about that. Childbed was hard enough and then three at once, no thank you.

Lord Eddard worked relentlessly as Lord of his lands, he was highly respected and loved by the smallfolk and nobles of the North.

It was just that no Lady wanted to become another tripletbearer for him.

So the Warden of the North spend his time doing everything to better the life circumstances of his people, doing his best to be a good father and role model for his many Children and sometimes he had to decapitate some people.

For his carnal desires he found releases but all the women always only pleasured him in ways that led not to pregnancies for themselves.

And so the years got by.  
Many years later Lord Stark was visiting The Norrey with his heir Robb and his Bastard Jon. On their way back home from there they were surprised to find themselves confronted by the biggest two wolves anyone had ever seen in their lives.  
One a male and the other a female with a hugely pregnant belly.

The two boys begged for the lives of the huge and wondrous wolves and the He-Wolf bowed down himself in front of Lord Stark.

The Wolves were allowed to come to Winterfell with the humans and they were barely inside the huge Keep's Courtyard that the Shewolf gave birth.

Ten little Wolfpups were born that day, one for each of the ten Children of Lord Stark.  
The Shewolf managed even to survive this ordeal and she and the male Wolf enjoyed the twenty Children around them, one half human the other half Wolf.

Two weeks later a letter arrived that Lord Jon Arryn had died and then another one came with the news that the King and his Family would come to Winterfell.

And so it began....


	3. Chapter 3

Lord Eddard Stark sat in his Solar and was reading the two letters from King's Landing again.

Weeks ago came first the one about Jon Arryn 's death. Ned closed his eyes for a moment of sadness while thinking about his former Fosterfather.

The second letter that came with the news that his former Fosterbrother would come to Winterfell had been more nerve-wracking though. The Warden of the North had just finished reading it again. He groaned.

The King coming to Winterfell with his family and numerous Courtiers at now this time was highly distracting not to mention, it was also something that would make Winterfell nearly burst because of how many people had to be given some place to sleep.

King Robert would arrive tomorrow and in the last few days already most of the Lords and Ladys of the North had arrived because of Robb's wedding.

If only he could have managed to sent a message to Robert to stay away for a couple of weeks more but no chance.

All the Ravens were either ignored in King's Landing or never arrived there.

Eddard Stark sighed deeply, he hadn't had this much of a headache since he had been forced to decapitate Roose Bolton and his Bastard son for the crime of kinslaying. It had been a shame about Domeric, really. He had been such a good boy and Mina had liked him very much. Then again he hadn't been really smart, which he had shown by trusting another man of Bolton blood.

Lord Stark sighed again. He was not sad that the main line of the Boltons were finally gone for good and that now a Cousin from a distant relation of Roose's grandfather's sister that married into the Norrey Clan, was the new Lord Bolton.

Mina though had liked Domeric Bolton better than her new fiance Harbold Bolton, formerly Norrey, who was a lot hairier and two full heads taller.

It couldn't be helped, for she still also wanted to become the Lady of Dreadfort and thus would have to arrange herself with her new husband to be.

Sansa had been the easiest of his older children so far. She had been betrothed to Lord Tarlys heir and could barely wait for her wedding.  
Sansa had been the only one too, that liked the endless chain of Septas that Hoster Tully had send North to his grandchildren.  
Not that any Septa had ever the time or Chance to feel comfortable in Winterfell, not when nine of his ten Children liked to make bets who of them would shock the then current Septa the most.

Lord Stark chuckled for a moment. The Septa four years ago nearly managed for seven moons to stay before she finally had given up and left. What had been her name again. Drusilla, no Ursula, no Unella. Maybe? Oh whatever. Something like that at least.

Ah, egads. Back to the problem at hand. Where in Others damned name should be put his oldest friend and the numerous people that will arrive with him, when even now Winterfell and the Wintertown is already filled up to the roofs?

Damned Umbers and Wulls had arrived with so many people three days ago, that Robb had asked The Wull if the Clan had completely left the Mountains for this wedding.

Everyone had laughed and the Robb's fiance had suggested to her husband-to-be that she would like to be shown around.

Nobody had seen them for hours till the Night meal was to be served in the Great Hall. Both arrived with a limp and had been starved.

Jon had teased his half-brother endlessly, that if he was already so weakend now, what would he look after his wedding night.  
The Great Hall had exploded in laughter and Robb and his fiance Nella Umber had blushed spectacularly before they too laughed out loud.

Eddard Stark sighed deeply again. No time to think about the fun moments of the last couple of days, he really had to find someplace for the damned Royal sycophants and his oldest friend to stay.


	4. Chapter 4

The King arrived the next day with his Wife and Children, four Kingsguards, numerous Servants and some Courtiers and Ladys-in-waiting.

Also accompanying them were the Lord Tywin Lannister, the father of the Queen and his youngest son, Tyrion the dwarf.

All together over seventy persons arrived in Winterfell in Wheelhouses and on horses.

The Warden of the North had taken his place to be the first to welcome his old friend in his home. Around him stood on the left side all his children and on the right side his most important Lords and Ladys.  
There were three rows behind him, the first on with the other Lords and Ladies, the second and third row with his highest servants and men-at-arms.

More people, mostly those of his Lords, were standing around at the other sides of the Great Courtyard.

Finally the biggest Wheelhouse anyone had ever seen, arrived at the Gates of Winterfell.  
It was a rather tight fit for the oversized Wheelhouse to pass but the coachman was a good one and the great thing came to stop in the Great Yard. Behind it, many riders clad in red and gold arrived, alongside four Knights clad entirely in white, two of them were riding in front of a fat Gold and Black clad man and two were riding behind him.

Behind the white Knights, a Lord in Gold and Red armor rode in and alongside with him a small being also wearing the colors Red and Gold but no armor. Behind those two, three more but smaller Wheelhouses rolled in and finally twenty Redcloaked Guards came on horses to complete the Royal treck.

Everyone of the North looked to the fat person that rode to the top of everyone and then stopped to stare at the Northerners.

The Stark children looked from the fat man on the poor horse to Lord Eddard, the northern Lords and Ladys did the same.  
All looked disappointed.

Well, Ned Stark thought, it looked that there was nothing of the once mighty Warrior Robert Baratheon left. Still, traditions wouldn't be changed now and so the Warden of the North bent his Knee and all Northerners in the Courtyard followed the example of their highest Lord.

King Robert went down his horse heavily and with the help of a small ladder and panted worse than Wyman Manderly did three days ago, at least in Neds opinion.

Robbs future Goodfather, the Greatjon, who was standing the nearest to Neds right side, scoffed while watching the King climbing down his horse and muttered under his breath that Robert Baratheon was not that far away from passing Lord Wymans weight. Greatjon's wife Jocelyn, a born Wull, rammed her elbow in her husbands side and just a moment later she repeated the same to her other side with her brother, The Wull. Both men looked fondely to the woman between them, she still was a fierce one.

Finally King Robert was down from his horse and standing in front of the kneeling Northerners. Beside the King stood his wife and children and his own Goodfather and the four Kingsguard Knights on the flanks.

Robert Baratheon gave command and all Northerners stood up from their knees and looked interestingly towards the Southerners.

They all saw a huge fat, black haired man, in Black and Gold while his wife and children were wearing Red and Gold, had golden hair and were all pretty and thin.  
The Lion Lord besides them looked at the assembled Lords of the North with a critical eye, his daughter looked at everyone full of disdain, the same as the eldest Prince did. The two younger children looked tired. King Robert himself looked happy, called his friend fat as a joke and then grabbed Lord Stark in a crushing embrace.

Everyone else looked to the two embracing men and then the Stark children and the Northern Lords looked at the heavily scowling Queen. Everyone sighed at that. This would be a unpleasant Royal Visit.

Robb looked defeated, he had so wished for a good wedding with Nella but this Queen and the oldest Prince looked as if they would ruin all the fun.

Finally the embrace between the former fosterbrothers ended and then Lord Eddard Stark began to introduce everyone to the Royal Guests.

He first presented his heir Robb with his bride Nella Umber. The Queen made the snide comment that the bride was taller and even less civilized looking than the boy and how unfortunate that looked.

Eddard Stark thought to himself that this must be a new record. He never met someone before that managed to turn everyone of his Lords and Children and even his most gentle daughter Sansa against themselves with just one Comment.

The King ignored the badmouthing that his wife uttered, the oldest Prince delighted in it and the younger Children looked embarrassed. Lord Tywin Lannister rolled his eyes up at his daughters words and then scowled at her.

Mina and Sansa, Robb's tripling sisters looked to each other and then to their younger siblings and all nodded to each other slightly. This meant revenge!

The rest of the introductions proceeded in a tense atmosphere that had everyone on their most false best behavior, everyone but the King, the Queen and the now introduced Prince Joffrey.

The King was cleary really happy and the Queen and her oldest son didn't even try to be nice and civil.

They commented quite loudly and often how the children of Lord Stark looked and then the same about the Northern Lords and Ladies.

When afterwards the accompanying Southern Lords and Ladies were introduced, Prince Joffrey made mean-spirited comments about them too from the sidelines.

Lord Eddard Stark sighed deeply and in the end he just hoped that nobody would kill this Royal Golden Brat under his roof while ignoring Guestright.

This promised to be a really uncomfortable visit.


	5. Chapter 5

After all the introductions were done, the King asked his oldest friend to be shown to the crypt and Lord Stark and the King went away.

Sansa and Mina as oldest Daughters of the House were the acting Ladys and brought the Queen and the Royal children to their rooms. Robb had the not really pleasant task to do the same for the Lion Lord. The other Southern Courtiers and Lady were shown to their accommodations by the Vayon Poole and other high up Winterfell officials. At last the headservants of Winterfell then brought the Southern servants and soldiers to where they would find their sleeping arrangements.

Jon Snow remained with his six younger siblings, who were eager to look over the Wheelhouse and who all even looked inside and commentated mockingly about the overstuffed room inside. Then the Bastard ushered his younger siblings to their rooms so that they could all make themselves more presentable like he promised father.

The Northern Lords and Ladys were still standing in the courtyard and looked to the huge Wheelhouse. The Greatjon and his Goodbrother The Wull made a bet how often it broke down on the whole way from King's Landing to Winterfell, how often the smaller Wheelhouses did and how long the Southern Horses would survive in the Northern weather.  
They also made their bets about how long the Southerners would be able to stand the weather themselves.

Lady Maege Mormont put some money into the bets too and every Clanchief from the Mountains and Woods did the same. Other Lords and Ladys followed, from Manderly to Glover and from Reed to Karstark and all other too, till finally the only one that had not put any money into it was the notorious stingy Lord Crowl from Skagos.

"Apuktu bat eggin, harrut skagu jan"

The Greatjon finally shouted and The Crowl answerd him with a rude gesture and a meagre purse which he placed on the non existent longlivety of Southern Horses in Northern weather.

The Lords and Ladys finally finished their betting business and notewriting and went back into the Great Hall. It was the evening before the Wedding and a King had just arrived, they all made their bets how long the Southerners would last here up in the North till they took ill, animals and peoples alike and now the Northerners wanted to feast and drink.

They started to drink to House Stark. Long live The Ned and that he had worked so good to keep his barns full and his animals fat and that there was Beer and Ale and Mead and harder stuff aplenty.

A short time later the King and Lord Stark arrived and the oldest Triplings lead the Queen and her Children and father to the High Table, with the Courtiers and Ladys following and going to the lower Tables.

The younger Children of Lord Stark and his Bastard rushed inside and seated themselves at the high table even Jon to the consternation of the Queen and her father.

The feast now started for real. The King clearly enjoyed all the laughter and the drinking and the food. He sadly also enjoyed touching the behinds of the Serfing Women a bit too much till Lord Stark bend to the Kings nearest ear and said something to him. After that, the King still enjoyed food and drink and laughter and the occasional song but kept his hands to himself.

The Queen though, her oldest Son and her father looked as if they had swallowed something bad and sourtasting the whole time. The two younger Royal Children though looked fascinated by the absolutely unknown atmosphere. On the lesser tables some of the Southern Courtiers and Ladys looked nearly as horrified as their Queen, while others enjoyed the so much less tense atmosphere at the feast.

Such a difference to the one in the Red Keep were one always had to be careful to stay on the good side of the Queen.

Musicians from White Harbor took their place on a small dais behind the lower tables and started to play jolly songs that were known throughout of Westeros.

Robb Stark nodded to his father and then bowed slightly before his fiance, who was sitting also on the high table. Nella Umber got up and went with Robb to the free room in the middle between the tables, which were all standing alongside the Walls, with most people still sitting and feasting and drinking.

One of the Ladys, Roslin Frey took to dance with the fat and nearly twenty years older Ser Wendel Manderly, the second son of the Lord Wyman of White Harbor. Though he was a fat man, Ser Wendel was still a graceful dancer and the Lady Roslin looked like she enjoyed herself, for she and the Ser were laughing with each other.

Jon Snow asked his sister Sansa for the dance since her fiance was not in Winterfell and she always liked dancing and after a nod from his father, they both joined the other Dancers. More and more couples joined in.

Lord Stark though cleary couldn't because he was entertaining the King, or more likely was listening the King talking about the good old times. The Queen and her oldest son looked with disgust clearly etched into their fine and beautiful faces, to all the fun that the other people were having. Little Princess Myrcella and Prince Tommen looked longingly to were all the Stark Children were dancing with each other and other Lords and Ladys. Their Grandfather looked like he thought that this journey was a huge mistake.

Then Arya Stark came back to the High Table and stepped directly to the Lion Lord.  
She was not a pretty Girl but she was also not ugly and she was confident with her eleven years of age. Arya Stark looked the Lion Lord in the eyes unblinkingly, something that Lord Tywin noticed with surprise and then spoke words that the Warden of the West never heard before in his life.

" I want you to dance with me. You look still fit and healthy enough to do so, even though you are old. You look bored while you are sitting here, so you can dance with me instead."

The whole High Table turned absolutely silent, even the loud talking King, it was as if they had turned to ice.

Lord Stark closed his eyes and buried his head in his hands for a moment and the King, the Queen and all three Children and the four Kingsguards standing behind the High Table and looking at the Girl open-mouthed.

The lower tables were unlikely to have heard what happened, for they were all still singing and dancing and drinking but the High Table occupants were really nearly petrified.

The Lion Lord looked at the Stark Girl first with a scowl on his face but it soon turned to genuine interest because of how the Girl's eyes never wavered from his own. Finally he stood up and presented his arm to lead the young Stark Lady onto the Dance floor. They soon were among the many Dancers, though they presented a funny picture, the tall old Lord and the way shorter and smaller young Girl.

Eddard Stark looked to the others seated at the High Table. Even Roberts looked like he had just seen something unbelievable, the Queen and her Children looked even more shocked.

Arya always managed to surprise everyone.

....................................................  
Apuktu bat eggin, harrut skagu jan"  
Translation  
Make a bet, old Stone eater

A mixture of Skagos/Stone from Old Tongue and the rest Google Translator in Basque with a bit twisting

I hope it sounds good enough.


	6. Chapter 6

The jolly feast had ended around the hour of the Wolf for the next day was the one of Robb Starks wedding to Nella Umber.

The morning found Lord Stark being roused earlier than he would have liked by his heir and his bastard. Jon Snow clearly was smirking at his fathers scowling about the too early hour, while Robb was desperately trying to make his only half-awake father agree to his idiotic idea.

Robb had apparently spent his night entertaining his bride and for some odd reason they had spoken about how unhappy with each other the Royal couple looked and how they hoped that they would never become like that.

This seemed to has later resulted into an idea that entered Robb's mind and that he now wished for his father to follow through with.

"No Robb, i will not make the King and all that came with him, leave Winterfell for the Time of Wedding and the following feast just because you think they course your marriage with Bad Luck just by being near you and your Bride. You will wed Nella in front of the Hearttree and that is Good luck enough to cancel out the Bad Luck."

"Father is right Robb but if you and Nella want to be sure, you know what Old Nan always said. Go to the Weirwood and offer blood and the leaves that they gift you with, the ones that fell into your hands, those wear near your heart and the Gods protect you from the Evil Eye."

Jons comment was hopefully meant in jest, was Lord Eddards thought but sadly Robb looked at his half-brother like he had offered the best idea ever, crushed Jon happily in an bonebreaking embrace and then left his fathers bedroom quickly.

"Jon, i hope that you meant that as a joke, not a good one but a joke." said Lord Eddard warily.

"Well father, even though i hate to bring down your hope, i meant it for real. This was the only way that Robb would stop pestering you to sent the Southerners away." was the answer before Jon Snow left his fathers room too.

Lord Stark sighed deeply and let himself fall back in his bed. This promised to be an even more nerve-wracking day than the one before.

The whole Grand Keep was already busy and loud when Eddard Stark arrived at the High Table in the Great Hall. All his Children were already on their seats but the King, the Queen and the Children were still in their rooms, at least that was what Vayoon Poole mentioned.

Lord Tywin Lannister though was also seated at the High Table, his whole appearance looked cold and his eyes were drifting disdainfully around in the Hall and the many many occupants. The Northern Lords and Ladys were already eating their morning meal at the lower Tables and slowly the Southern Guests arrived too.

"Good morning Lord Lannister", Eddard Stark greeted.

" Lord Stark" accompanied by a small nod was his answer by the Lion Lord.

Both men decided that Silence would be easier. Ned Stark thought about the other information that he received from the Steward Poole. Tyrion Lannister, Lord Tywins hated Dwarf of a son had yesterday left the Keep while the King and Eddard embraced, had preferred to ride back into Wintertown which the Southerners just had passed through and immediately found the next Whorehouse. Since then he was enjoying himself there.

The Warden of the North wondered if the Warden of the West knew that too but then decided for himself that this was not his family and so it was not his problem. Then Eddard Stark began to eat and talk with his children.

Robb and Nella had both a small linen wrapping around their left hands and were clearly happy about that.

A long while later, the King, followed by Ser Barristan, stumbled into the Great Hall and let himself fall down onto the chair. The Princess Marcella and the younger Prince Tommen came next and with them came their three stern looking Septas and Ser Aerys Oakheart.

The Children sat by their Grandfathers side and looked both sad and longingly over to where the Stark Children were happily talking and joking with their father, Lord Stark. Prince Tommen looked then fearfully to his Grandfather and then to his own father, King Robert.

Princess Myrcella's eyes were still focused on the Stark Children though. She stared unashamedly to the so much more happily interacting family that they presented, then finally closed her eyes and thought for just a few moments of how much she wished to belong to them. Her and Tommen living in Winterfell, what a nice little fantasy that was, she thought to herself.

Sadly then Prince Joffrey arrived, followed by Ser Meryn Trant and sat himself at the High Table with utter hatred etched into his fine features. Ser Meryn was standing behind him and was snarling angrily.

Joffrey started to speak his woes, imagined or real, to King Robert.

"Father, this room, this bed, everything is absolutely unworthy of me, your heir. There were no silk sheets and nothing in the Colors of our Houses in this Room. Not even the tiniest piece of Gold, nothing. All is drab and grey and ugly. I shudder to think what things are crawling under the Covers and i..."

"Shut up Joffrey, just shut up." was the only answer if the King.

Prince Joffrey looked angrily but sat down with a scowl and started to eat, while he still continued his angry mutterings about everything till a sharp word from Lord Lannister stopped that finally too.

The Queen sent news through her handmaiden that she felt ill and would not come and since Ser Jamie was the Kingsguard that primary protected his sister, he too did not come to the morning meal.

Later, when all was done, the Lords and Ladys were mingling and the three youngest Stark Children Bran, Lyarra and Melantha were showing Princess Myrcella and Prince Tommen around, the three middle ones Arya, Rickon and Rodrik were plotting how to pay back Prince Joffrey for what he said about their beloved home.  
Joffrey though was pouting in the Corner of Lord Lannisters room, while said Lord told him what bad behavior he as Prince was showing.

Hours later, the Lords and Ladys, also all Northern Servants and men-at-arms, were wearing their best clothing.

Lord Stark, his heir and the rest of the Children, went into the Godswood. The King and the two younger children followed them, to the disgust of the children's Septas.

A short while later, The Greatjon and his wife Jocelyn were leading their daughter Nella into the Godswood, followed by their other children, the heir Smalljon and his Wife Serena nee Stane and Ned, Rickert, Ulla, Alya and Oscer Umber.

Jocelyns birth family followed, lead by The Wull, Hugo Wull. He was followed by his children Eddo and his wife Lorna nee Flint, Riko and his wife Nessa nee Ironsmith and his unmarried children Theo, Arik and Hugh.

A short while later the marriage vows were spoken in front of the ancient Heart tree and everyone then went into the Great Hall again for the wedding feast.

Everyone but the Queen and Ser Jamie were now there in the Hall to celebrate. From the King and his Family to the Ladys and Lords to the many many servants, everyone was toasting the Young Couple and their future.

Everybody was toasting but Prince Joffrey, his personal Kingsguard Ser Meryn, the Lord Lannister and the three disgruntled looking Septas.

Nobody cared about these peoples though. Life was good right now in Winterfell, nearly all were really having fun and about an hour later, the King was granting a wish for the newly wedded couple.

Robb wished for his brother Jon to be legalized and Nella wished for the New Gift to be returned under the care of House Stark, she even had a letter from the Nightwatch that they didn't want the New Gift anymore. King Robert looked surprised but agreed to both these wishes for they were easy to fulfill and would cost him nothing.

Maester Luwin did the honors of writing both Contracts himself on good veal leather on top of the High Table. Lord Lannister, Ser Barristan and two Northern Lords and two Southern Lords signed as witnesses under the King and Lord Stark.

After that, the newly legalized Jon Stark was embracing his brother Robb so long and hard that the heir protested that he wanted to survive the night. All laughed merrily at these Words.

It was such a happy and satisfying night for everyone.


	7. Chapter 7

The ancient Great Keep of Winterfell was filled to the brim with merrily feasting people who were celebrating the heirs wedding and the generosity of House Stark.  
In the Great Hall, the Lords and Ladys of the North intermingled with those that came with the King from the South. King Robert himself laughed loudly about stories told by The Wull and The Greatjon, while Lord Stark was currently besieged by The Norrey and The Burley, who both already tried to make sure that The Ned would not forget them when the lands of the former New Gift would be distributed anew.

Princess Myrcella looked happily up to the long but handsome face of Rickon Stark while she danced with him, her younger brother Tommen stumbled clumsily during his own dancesteps with the ever pleasant Melantha Stark and Prince Joffrey was sitting moodily at the High Table, unwilling to dance and muttering the whole time of how horrible everything was in the North.

Lord Tywin Lannister looked with interest to the youngest pairing on the Dance floor and winced nearly invisible when Prince Tommen then stepped again wrong and this time so bad that even the gentle Lady Melantha cried out in pain with a couple swearwords and disentangled herself from the now beet red younger Prince.

Melanthas tripling sister Lyarra showed mercy to the embarrassed Prince and took her sisters place. She clearly rued it after a short while but soldiered through that dance and one more before she lead the young Prince back to the High Table with a clearly forced smile.

Tywin Lannister gritted his teeth while he looked down at his returned youngest Grandson. At least Myrcella held herself in good elegance and dancing talent and was showing already through her dancing that she had inherited the graceful behavior from Joanna.

The Warden of the West then looked to his two Grandsons, the older scowling and the younger sniffling and shuddered. They were embarrassing the family. He would have to talk with his daughter, her sons were lacking all that was needed to be a Grand Lord or Prince. Cersei had clearly brought them up badly and the King was also only bad influence. That reminded him of something. He looked to Ser Barristan.

"Ser Barristan, was my son excused by his Grace for tonight?"

"No Lord Lannister, Ser Jaime is still doing his duty but he is guarding the Queen and since she is still resting in her room, Ser Jaime will of course be standing Guard in front of her door." was Ser Barristans answer.

Lord Stark, who finally had managed to free himself from his two Clanchiefs and was standing just near enough to Ser Barristan to hear his answer to Lord Lannister, interrupted both men.

"My Steward Poole had informed me earlier this day that Ser Jaime had asked were there was a Sept for the Queen to pray in. Steward Poole had told the Kingsguard the truth, that Winterfell doesn't has one but that there is a small Tower, formerly called the Broken but now the Septas Tower.

It has a crude small Sept on the first Floor and two Rooms for the endless Streams of Septas that my first goodfather is still sending to us, for he wanted his Grandchildren to know the Faith of the Seven.

To this small Tower my Steward sent the Queen earlier this afternoon, for Ser Jaime told him not only of the wish of the Queen for praying but also that had horrible problems to find rest in the Guest Quarters because of the noise overall.

My Steward told me all this before the wedding ceremony and i approved of it, so that the Queen might be better again tomorrow."

Lord Stark finished his explanation with these kind words and Lord Lannister tried to look grateful. Inside he was seething.  
Typically Cersei, she had no shame in slighting such a huge House by faking illness just because she was uninterested in anything but herself. Surely she was already drunk, that seemed to happen more and more often to her when she was unwilling to be involved in socializing.

Young Arya and Rodrik happened to be going by when their father spoke and both now looked to him with wide open mouths.

Then Arya looked to her brother and asked him if they had found all of the Essosi Termites after the last Septa left two and a half moons ago. Before Rodrik could answer though..

BBBBoooooommmmm!! ! ! CRASHH!! BANGGG!!!  
The noise was deafening.

Rodriks answer was silent.  
"Seems that we had missed a few."

Everyone was running out of the Great Hall, the smaller Halls and all the other places where people just moments ago had been celebrating.

They all were running till they found the reason for the loud noise. The Septas Tower had broken apart and collapsed to the side, the Towerroof had fallen into a small courtyard and the whole two upper floors had been turned to rubble. All the wooden joisting that had hold the stones of the old Tower upright had crumbled to Sawdust and broken pieces. Amidst this rubble two naked bodies were found, those of the Queen and those of her brother. Both were connected by their lower intimate body parts and had clearly been involved in treacherous behavior before they died so suddenly.

Lord Lannister looked shocked at this picture of total embarrassment for his House. His Children had behaved like Targaryens, had been so deeply involved in their disgusting desires that death through a crumbling Tower could surprise them.

The Warden of the West closed his eyes. King Robert Baratheon though, even though he could barely stand anymore because of his drunkenness and had to be hold upright by the Greatjon, looked at his now dead wife and saw her with her head that had been bashed open on the back by her fall, her embracing arms still tight around her twin, whose head also was bashed open by his fall.

King Robert saw all that with his eyes still clouded by all his drinking, then looked from the dead couple to Lord Tywin Lannister, then to his three shocked and crying, well only the younger two were doing so, children and finally back to the dead Couple. The King closed his eyes, opened them again when Lord Eddard came to stand before his oldest friend and then Robert Baratheon started to laugh and laugh and laugh ....

For a few breathless moments all these hundreds upon hundreds of people that had swarmed the courtyards and were looking at the fallen Tower and the King from other Towers and other buildings too, were silent.

Then the laughter started in every corner. What a way to die for a Queen. The Stark Children and especially the new Husband and his Wife, Robb and Nella Stark, all looked at each other. This had not been planned.

The King was still laughing. Tywin Lannister was not laughing!

And the peaceful time crumbled away....


	8. Chapter 8

Tywin Lannister had found out, along with every Lord and Lady and Smallfolk currently in Winterfell, in the most embarrassing and public way possible that his oldest two Children behaved like Targaryens.

The King Robert Baratheon had at first nearly laughed himself silly and with him most of the people that were there in Winterfell but after a short time of merriment, everyone began to sober-up.

King Robert looked to his children and for the first time in his life, he began to doubt that they were sired by him for all three looked purely like Lannisters and nothing like Baratheons. Many agreed with the King.

Many but not the oldest Prince who screamed and screeched and behaved utterly improper. And another who did not agree with the King was the father of the dead Queen and Grandfather of the royal children himself, naturally.

Prince Joffrey screamed that he was the next King, that he was Roberts son for he was as daring as his father and surely the King could see that. He screamed that he was absolutely a Baratheon he only had inherited his treacherous whore mother's hair but his blood was Baratheon.

The Warden of the West argued that his twins had clearly behaved in a treacherous and disgusting way, he also brought forward that they both received what they had earned and that there was no way to prove that the children were not sired by the King himself.

The King could not prove that this shameful intimacy happend before, that was Lord Tywins argument and some Lords nodded.  
Maybe Lord Lannister would have even managed to convince the King of this, if not in just that moment, Prince Joffrey lost his mind.

Nobody had seen before that he had carried a small dirk on his person but in a moment of wicked madness, the older Prince stopped his screeching, grabbed his hidden dirk and slashed open his own little brothers neck. Little Prince Tommen had been standing shoulder to shoulder with Myrcella near his mothers and Uncles corpses. Prince Joffrey had been standing one step away from his younger siblings.

In the blink of an eye that went by after Joffrey had slashed open his brothers throat, he then also repeated the same to his sister.

"Look Father, see what i have done. They both looked too much like they were Mother and Uncle Jaime but only younger. They too were surely doing this nasty treacherous behavior themselves or would have done when they would be older. They were surely not your children. I am though. I am your son, i got revenge on them for the treachery, the same way that you did against that disgusting Rhaegar Targaryen. I showed them Royal Justice like you do against your enemies. I am a Baratheon, i am your son. Ours is the rage, father."

The King and everyone else looked aghast at the bloodbath that this screaming mad boy had just created. Lord Lannister looked just lost. His children and his grandson had done something that not even Aerys Targaryen had managed. Lord Tywin Lannister looked broken.

Lord Eddard Stark and many Ladies and Maester Luwin had tried in vain to help the two poor and gentleminded children but they had died so quickly that nothing could be done.

Everyone looked at the screaming and mad Kinslayer, this boy that shed his own siblings blood out of madness and cruelty and then they all stepped closer and closer to the boy. Joffrey found no way out of the ever enclosing circle of people and then he crumbled down. Behind him stood Ser Meryn Trant, he had clubbed the boy over the head with the hilt of his sword.

King Robert looked from the small corpses of what he had known all their lives as his younger legal children to the killer of said children. His broad frame was shaking, his face was white as snow and tears were running from his eyes. He was not the only one that cried shamelessly, for even the toughest warrior could not find anything other than sadness about the useless death of innocent children.

Lord Stark and his newly married heir Robb, took each one of the children in their arms and brought them away into the Maesters Tower, with Maester Luwin and Lady Nella following them.

Robert Baratheon was swallowing heavily. This wasn't what he wanted when he just a short time ago had doubted that he was the father of his wife's children. He looked hatefully to the corpses of his wife and her brother and then to the unconscious body of this living embodiment of madness that he had always known as his oldest son. Then his eyes fell onto the two bright and fresh stains of blood on the ground. It glittered like garnets in the glow of the torches. There his younger children died. Sweet and gentle Myrcella and shy and chubby Tommen. Killed by their own brother.

Robert Baratheon looked up from the ground and his eyes wandered over the many many sad and tearful faces that now looked towards him or towards Joffrey. Mina Stark and the newly named Jon Stark stepped in front of the King, gave their condolences and asked the King if he would agree that the Kinslayer would be brought into the Keeps Cell.

"Do it and make sure that he can not escape. And if you have one more Cell, than Lord Lannister will take that as his new Quarter. I will not risk that the man that extinguished two of his own houses will try to do the same with mine. House Stark will keep the Lion secured and the Westerlands thus obedient."

Then the King followed the others into the Tower of the Maester.  
...............  
Nobody found rest and peace that night and all joy was gone.  
............  
Lord Tywin Lannister was secured in a cell in the old Keep and two hours later his youngest and last son was thrown into it too after the Stark Men had brought him from one of Wintertowns Whorehouses.

Tyrion Lannister then found out from his broken and empty looking father what happened and broke down too.

Joffrey 'Baratheon' was thrown into the most secure cell under the Grand Keep and started screaming and screeching again as soon as he woke up.

Two days later, the now heirless King and his Courtiers and Ladys and servants started on their way back to King's Landing but this time they would go to White Harbor and take the Sea route. He was accompanied by Lord Eddard Stark, his new Hand and many of the most respected warriors of the North would come with the King and the new Hand to King's Landing.

Ravens were sent to every corner of Westeros to inform everyone of what happened and the Lords with daughters were salivating.

In the Westerlands though, there was fear in the Air. Ser Kevan Lannister wanted his brother back, he needed him back or all that Tywin had worked for all his life would be done for and meaningless.

And so the Westerlands made openly offer upon offer to give as much Gold as was desired by the King and the Starks to let the Lord Lannister go and in secret the Lannisters prepared to go to War. The Gold of the Westerlands was used to interest all sellsword companies that could be hired.

In the Reach, Lord Mace Tyrell looked forward to the wedding of his daughter to the King. Nobody felt as sure as he about it, for the King had never even met the young Margaery Tyrell till now. The Lord of the Reach would not hear it. The King, he argued, would met Margaery and would fall for her and she would become the next Queen and bear the true Baratheon heirs.

In Dorne, the Prince Doran looked up from the letter and met the glittering black eyes of his Brother. Both nodded and the younger brothers smile was pure teeth. Their time had come.

In the Stormlands everyone was shocked but waited for what the King would do next.

In the Capital, where Stannis Baratheon was acting as Hand for the time on command of his brother, the news were received with Glee. Nobody had ever forgiven the Lannisters anything. Lord Stannis was unreadable though. He did not give his thoughts about anything.

In the Vale, the mad widow Lysa Arryn couldn't care less. She wanted her son to be safe and her lover Petyr Baelish by her side. She sent out word though that the Vale would do nothing, whatever happend, they would not be involved in any kind of War.

In the Riverlands, Hoster Tully was dying and Edmure his heir had only half listened when the Maester read the Kings message. He was then away for many days with his friends, doing whatever he was doing.

In the Greyjoy Keep on Pyke though, the Lord Reaver Euron Greyjoy, that last living member of his family, smirked. This would be the Chance that he had been waiting for.

....


	9. The Lord and his oldest Triplets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little introduction.
> 
> Eddard, Robb and his wife, Minisa and her fiance, Sansa and a mention about her fiance.

The thrice widowed Wolf Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North

Born 263 AC in Winterfell

married from 282 AC until her death 283 AC to Catelyn Tully.

married from 285 AC until her death 287 AC to Barbrey Ryswell, widow of Willem Dustin

married from 288 AC until her death 290 AC to Hanna Reed, sister of Howland Reed

Father to  
Robb, Mina (Minisa) and Sansa, triplets born in 283 AC

Arya, Rickon and Rodric, triplets born in 287 AC

Lyarra, Melantha and Bran, triplets born in 290 AC

'Father's (Uncle) to Jon Snow, born 283 AC  
.........................  
Is a true father to his people, works hard to make the life better for his smallfolk and is adored by the peasants and Nobles of the North alike.

Killed Victarion Greyjoy with the Help of the Greatjon during the Greyjoy Rebellion.

Beheaded Roose Bolton and the Bastard Ramsay Snow in the Year 297 AC, Ramsay for the Kinslaying of Domeric Bolton and Roose for not speaking Justice himself.

Agreed in 298 AC to become Hand of the King, Robert Baratheon.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

...........  
Robb Stark is born in 283 AC in Riverrun as one Babe of a tripling birth. His mother Catelyn Stark, nee Tully died after giving birth in her own childhood home.

Robb is build stocky and strong muscled, currently 5'11 ft tall but since he is just 15, he is still growing and hopes for a couple more inches.

A lot of his looks come from his mother's side, he has Tully blue eyes and red-brown curly hair, which he is wearing down to his shoulders.

He is a good and fast fighter with his sword though Jon still beats him more often than in reverse, less good than his brother Jon with the bow but absolutely excellent with the lance and as a rider. He would be a fantastic jousting Champion, if only the North would believe in the sense of such Tourneys.

Robb has not much inherited from his father's looks but he absolutly has the sense of honor, love for his family and the love for his lands and people inherited from Ned Stark.

His best friend is his half-brother ( Cousin, but nobody knows that) Jon, who was until recently a Snow and is now legalized to a Stark by Robert Baratheon as a wedding present. That was what Robb asked the King for as Wedding present, to legalize his Bastard brother. Shows how much he loves Jon.

Robbs direct siblings, born together with him in the tripling package are Minisa called Mina and Sansa.

His four years younger siblings born by Barbrey Ryswell, Stepmother number one, are Arya, Rickon and Rodric, all of them wild and bold.

His youngest siblings are seven years younger than him and were born by Stepmother number two, the sweet and nice Hanna Reed. Her children are Lyarra, Melantha and Brandon, called Bran.

Robb is the proud 'owner' of the eight week old Direwolf pup Grey Wind.

Was betrothed to his now wife when he was 12 and she was just shy of 14 years of age and is quite happy about that.

Robb is slightly superstitious, he once had heard that when unhappily married persons are Guests to watch the Wedding vows on the Godswood are exchanged, that the unhappiness of their marriage acts like a curse onto the newly weds too. This prompted him to talk about it with Nella in the night before his wedding and to ask his father at wedding morning to send the unhappy King away.  
Eddard didn't do it of course.

Jon remembered that Old Nan had a good advice for such situations and Robb and Nella then went hours before their wedding into the Godswood, stepped to the ancient Hearttree and both cut into their Hearthand and gifted a bit of their Blood to the Gods.  
Two Red leaves landed directly in front of them and they picked them up and put them each in their inner clothing, near their hearts, as protection against the Evil Eye and curses.

Besides this one situation, which everyone is blaming on his wedding stress, Robb is normally a bright and fun-loving guy but also trained from childhood onwards to become Lord of the Lands. All children learned how to respect the lands and the people that work on it and what work needs to be done.

Robb has a good head for numbers and sums, speaks, read and write Common tongue normally but also can speak Old Tongue without accent for all Children learned that from Old Nan, can read the old signs of the First Men because Hanna Reed teached that to her Stepchildren and knows a bit of the Braavosi language because of the Trade relations of the North.

He enjoys being married to Nella but is still disgruntled that the damn Southerners actually managed to destroy his Wedding feast with their Drama.

He is proud that his wife is already pregnant, maybe even from the three days and nights of exploring each other before the wedding happened but hopes that he hasn't inherited the triplet making curse from his father and that the Umber and Wull blood of his wife makes her strong enough to endure the childbirth if his father's curse had come true in him too.

Since Eddard Stark is now Hand in King's Landing, Robb is acting Lord of Winterfell and he shows that his father had trained him to be a good one.

()()()()()()()()

Nella Stark, born 281AC as oldest daughter of the Greatjon, Lord Jon Umber of the Last Hearth and Lady Jocelyn, a born Wull.

Nella is 6'1 ft and finally stopped growing, at least she hopes so, because her mother is that height too.

She is the first daughter but fourth child of her parents, her oldest brother and the heir of her father, Jon who is called the Smalljon,was born 275 AC and is already married for four years to Serena of House Stane, they have two boys already.

Nellas other siblings are Ned who is born 277 AC and has a lover who is the best Huntsman of the region and finally the last of the older siblings is Rickert who was born 279 AC and who is betrothed to Lyra, the second daughter of House Lake from the Long Lake.

Nellas younger siblings are the twin sisters Ulla and Alya, born 285 AC. Ulla is betrothed to Robin Flint, heir of Widow's Watch and Alya is betrothed to Benfred Tallhart, the Heir of Torrhen's Square.

The youngest of Nella's siblings is her little brother Oscer who was born 291 AC, Jocelyn had actually thought that after the twins, she wouldn't get pregnant anymore and only thought that she was gaining some weight and had no problems whatsoever during her last pregnancy, so the birth of the boy was really a happy surprise.

Nella is strong and yet agile, has light brown curly and hip long hair and eyes like dark Flintstone.

She speaks, reads and write fluently Common Tongue but even better Old Tongue because her mother prefers Old Tongue to the Common one in her home.

Nella agreed to Robb's wish on her wedding morning to go to the Hearttree and to ask for the Gods protection after offering their blood as a gift to the Gods. After the wedding day turned out to be such a disaster for the Southerners, she is absolutely convinced that the gift of the Gods protected her and Robb and all her families from any kind of harm.

She also agreed with Robb's wish for the King to legalize Jon since she likes all her new goodsiblings and has no doubt that Jon will be a reliable Bannerman but she and her family had actually wanted to speak with Eddard Stark about the New Gift anyway and so Nella used the Chance that generosity of the King at her wedding presented and asked instead theCurrent Ruler of Westeros to undo the New Gift, so that the lands could be useful again.

Robert was only too happy to fulfill both wishes, neither would cost him any money and Nella presented a letter of the Nightwatch in which the idea was brought forward in the first place anyway.

So besides the Southern Problems, Nella is highly satisfied with how her wedding day went and is now already a really efficient acting Lady of Winterfell, currently in the early stages of her pregnancy.

She is not afraid about the tripling curse, she is a strong and tough woman and the Gods receive a weekly little gift.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

.............  
Minisa called Mina and Sansa are the triplet sisters of Robb and thus of course born 283 AC in Riverrun by Catelyn Tully.

Mina is 5'5 ft and strongminded, Sansa is 5'6 ft and more of a dreaming person, though she can be bold too. Both have inherited the long and straight Red Hair and the blue eyes from their mother but where Sansas face is oval, Minas is more long in the typical Stark way. Both young Ladys have a elegant and well-formed body and skin like silk.

Sansa is the only Child of Ned Stark that is interested in the Faith of the Seven and not only the Old Gods like her siblings. She is thus the only one of the Starklings that never played jokes on any of the Septas that Grandfather Tully had sent North in steady intervals.

Mina is like all the other Starkchildren only a follower of the Old Gods. She loves the stories of Old Nan, actually she was the one that started at age nine, to write down through the years every Story that Old Nan is willing to tell.

Mina favorite pastime besides writing and doing Household management is playing music. She plays the Reed flute, gifted to her by her second Stepmother, the hammered Table Harp (Dulcimer), the Tambourine and the Lyre. Mina is talented in sewing but dislikes it and hates embroidery but she likes to do Wool spinning and weaving.

Sansa loves embroidery and sewing, is not bad at weaving but dislikes Wool spinning. She can sing quite prettily and loves Songs, mostly of the South that the Septas teached her, she can play the Bells and is halfway talented on the High Harp. Sansa loves dancing and often uses every Chance to do so, whether with visiting Lords or with her brothers. She is sadly though, absolutely horrible at sums and not really interested in Household management but then she still has time to grow up a bit more. Sansa is the only one of the Starklings that knows anything of 'The Seven Pointed Star' and even owns one for personal use, a gift from her Grandfather, but she is also the only one of the Starklings that can't speak Old Tongue nor read the old signs.

The girls each has a Direwolf pub, Mina named hers 'Ralurra' the Old Tongue word for light snowfall and Sansa named hers 'Lady'

Both Sansa and Mina are betrothed since they were twelve years old and both already lost their original fiance.

Mina's first fiance Domeric Bolton was killed by his own half-brother, for which said brother and the father that tried to be unjustfull, were beheaded by Lord Eddard Stark.  
Mina is now betrothed to the distant Bolton relative that inherited the Dreadfort and Bolton name and riches.

Lord Harbold Bolton is born 276 AC as a Norrey of the younger line and is Lord Bolton since 297 AC, since the main Bolton family is extinguished.

His great grandmother Berena Bolton was the sister of the last mainlines Bolton, Roose Bolton's Grandfather.

Berena Bolton married 211 AC the younger Brother of The Norrey and gave 213 AC birth to her son Beron before she caught the chill and died. This Beron Norrey married 231 AC a Alys Burley and they had two daughters and two sons in between 232 and 238. Only the second Boy Willem, born 236 AC survived the long Hungerwinter of 230 AC to 236 AC and grew up.

Willem Norrey married 257 for the first time. His wife was a daughter of House Slate, she had eight miscarriages till she succumbed to the last one in the Year 270 AC.

Willem Norrey married anew 273 AC to a Arra Bole, a widow with a girlchild. Arra Norrey then gave birth to Harbold Norrey in 276 AC and to Harbolds younger sister Margaret in 280 AC. Willem Norrey dies in Roberts Rebellion and his widow Arra Norrey dies from a Fever in 295.

Harbold had resigned himself to the fact that he would spend his life as a Steward for The Norrey of the main line, like his father was, till then the day arrived that he received the news of Lord Stark and was declared as new Lord of the Dreadfort.

He is now Lord Bolton for a bit over a year, betrothed to be married after the Harvest feast to Mina Stark and had five moons ago given away his sister to the Heir of the Karhold, Harrion Karstark who was born in the same year as he was. The new Lord Bolton also got rid of all the Criminals that had surrounded the Bolton Bastard Ramsay and he already made sure to be as just to his Smallfolk as Ned Stark is to the North.

So yeah, for Harbold Bolton the life turned out awesome. Mina had actually liked her first fiance better, he was prettier and she didn't felt so small near him. Harbold is around 6'10 ft. and has a heavy dark brown baird and lots of body hair. He adores his younger bride and even though he looks like an uncultured man, he is not stupid or complety uneducated.

He can speak the Common Tongue, read and write, not very good but enough to not be betrayed by others, speaks the Old Tongue fluently and he is quick in his head while doing his sums.

Harbold had sung the Mountain songs when he had been visiting Winterfell and while his Voice is surely not as trained as the one of a minstrel, he still sings in a nice and wellsounding baritone and Mina enjoyed it to listen to him while she had accompanied him on the Reed flute and with the hammerd Table Harp.

So Mina knows that her fiance and she will be able to find enough similarities to share and that even though he is not her Dream husband, she looks forward to her marriage to him and to become Lady of the Dreadfort.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Sansa was at first betrothed to Samwell, the oldest Son of Randyll Tarly, who was of the same age as she is but sadly Samwell died in a hunting accident. House Stark received the news about Samwells death in the last days of 297 AC and in the same letter, Lord Tarly wrote that he would like to offer his new Heir Dickon, who was four years younger, as new option for a betrothal to the Lady Sansa.

Lord Eddard tried at first to shift the betrothal to Arya and find someone else for Sansa but his most gentle daughter really wanted to marry into the Reach and his most wildest daughter really doesn't want to leave the North.

So now, Sansa is betrothed to Dickon Tarly and it was agreed in the engagement contract that she would marry him when the boy turned fourteen.


	10. The Senior Nobility of the North arrives in King's Landing

King's Landing 298, a month after the Wedding in Winterfell

The ships from White Harbor arrived in a Capitol that was brimming with excitement and fear at the same time. A huge mass of Kingslanders were standing in the Harbor to see King Robert Baratheon coming back and to find out who was accompanying him and who not.

The people of the City knew through the servants of the Red Keep of the Letter that was sent from Winterfell, telling about the treason of the Queen and her brother, their death and about how 'Prince' Joffrey killed his younger innocent siblings. The letter also included the news that Joffrey and his direct living Lannister relatives, Lord Tywin and Tyrion Lannister were all three kept imprisoned in Winterfell on command of the King. The population of the Capitol was excited about all that and while the servants that told the news seemed quite sad about the little Myrcella and Tommen that were murdered by their brother, the normal smallfolk of King's Landing didn't feel sentimental. Fewer Lannisters alive sounded good to them. The people of the City lost many a people, many a family and a lot of children during the Sack of King's Landing in 283 AC, done by the Lannister Army, they all felt rather unforgiving about all that and were enjoying the thought of fewer Lannisters in the World,wether it be adults or children.

This was the general mood in the population that were waiting for their King to arrive. And arrive he did, ten ships from White Harbor, two of them filled with Southern Lords and Ladies and Courtiers and Servants and Soldiers and a newly widowed King. Eight ships full of Northmen and one of these Northmen was the new Hand of the King.

Eddard Stark, the Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. The Thrice widowed Wolf, as some of the left-at-home Ladies whispered, the Wolfdick as most of the Whores laughed. A man that sired only triplets, the men in the Streets were saying with wonder and envy in their voices. Some remembered that he had a single Bastard son though but an old Septon was reminding people that blessings of the Mother would make sure that a men would not have as many Bastards as Trueborns.

An older merchant had reminded in his answer, that the Lord Eddard was a follower of the Old Gods and that Lady Ashara surely killed herself because she lost the other two babes of the triplets she had born to Lord Eddard. Many were speculating then. This was the mood of the people standing in the Harbor, waiting for their King to step off the Ship.

When the ships finally all had arrived in the Harbor and were anchoring, the population gave cheers and the cheering grew louder when the King and Lord Eddard stepped onto the Harbor's stonefloor.

Robert Baratheon was not a man that could be overlooked in even the most tumultuous situations, so in this situation if jubilation and with everybody looking at him, he stood out from most of the surrounding men in the Harbor even more and he clearly enjoyed the cheering of the people.

Lord Eddard Stark though, he looked as if he would enjoy it more to be welcomed in a quieter way.

The accompanying Southern nobles and commons were not really interesting for the population, they were known more or less but all the Northerners that came with their Highest Lord, they were of utmost interest to the Kingslanders. Northern merchants were known well enough, merchants and seamen from all the lands of Westerns, North to South, from many lands of Essos, Ibben to Volantis, Bravoos and the other Free Cities, even merchants of the Summer Islands were not that uncommon to astound the Kingslanders.

Here though, the Warriors of the North arrived and those were seen last in Robert's Rebellion and even then they only looked like other soldiers in a war, maybe some a bit bigger. Now the Lords and quite a few Ladys arrived that looked to the followers of the Seven like the Old God believers were making a statement.

Eight ships full many of the Senior Lords and Ladys of the North, clad in leather and carrying huge swords and maces and Warhammers. Shields with Direwolves and Giants and Axes and Iron Fists and Bears and other unknown sigils were carried by most of the men and even some of the women. And the women looked as austere as the men, all standing tall and hard in front of the gawking Kingslanders. Leather and wool were what the clothing of these Northerners were made of, no Lady was wearing Silk or Myrish Lace and no Lord golden and silvern shining Armor. Copper and bronze and iron bangles seemed to be the jewelry of choice for these unknown Nobles, and some Ladys might even be wearing necklaces of these materials or raw Stones but no one of them were glowing and sparkling from Gold and Gemstones like the Lannisters ever did.

This was what the Common people of Kings Landing thought to themselves. The Septons and Septas looked to the runes, the old heretic script on the bangles and the holy women and men of the Sevens shivered. These all were people of the Hand of the King, how much influence would they be showing now, how much would they try to bring forward their old tree gods in this City of the most blessed Sept?

Septons would send letters to all important and truebelieving Houses and beg for help to repel these heretics from the City of the High Septon.

Robert Baratheon didn't care about what anyone was thinking, he had his best friend by his side, who was even doing all his work for him, he had many new drinking Companions by his side and the Northern Lords were good mates and not some holier-than-thou fucks.

Eddard Starks headache turned permanent as soon as he arrived in the cesspool of the Capitol and learned about how much work there was waiting for him. He closed his eyes and remembered longingly his well-run Winterfell. The Lords and Ladys of the North that had come with him to the South, were after just a few days already done with the heat and the behavior of the Southerners.

Most of the Southern Nobles were spendthrifts in Northern eyes, too many even better off Common people were having wrong priorities, the poorest of the smallfolk was living in Conditions that could turn any day to huge centres of epidemics and the King himself, even though he was a jolly fellow, was a horrible useless Ruler in the eyes of every Northern Lord and Lady in King's Landing.

Surely a lot of the problems had been brought by the influence of the Lions and with the Queen Cersei now gone and her father secured in Winterfell, surely a lot would change but there was so much corruption in the City of King's Landing, that the Northerners all remembered longingly their more simple life at home, like their Lord Warden did.

The most annoying thing of all, for even the most patient Lady Leona Manderly, was the absolute manic distrust of the more iratic followers of the Seven. The Manderlys themselves were following the Seven but Lady Manderly herself was seen as intruder when she was praying in the Sept of Baelor on her third day in King's Landing. The Septas followed her every step, as if she would try to destroy the holy Sept through her simple northern presence.

The first week in King's Landing, full of irritation and distrust on all sides, was barely over when a Raven arrived from Winterfell. Robb Stark, acting Lord of the North wrote his father that the Lannisters of Casterly Rock had offered Two Million Golddragons as Ransom for Lord Tywin Lannister and hundred thousand for Tyrion.


	11. Rickon's fun

Winterfell, one month after the Wedding

Two very annoyed Guards were standing in front of the door to the Cell if Joffrey 'The Screamer' Waters.

Alyn, who was normally a rather lighthearted man, looked ready to kill someone, most likely the one who he was guarding. Cayn sighed heavily every once in a while and thought to himself that he would hold the golden haired prick while Alyn could gut him and then he would buy Alyn a large Cup of Mead, if he would do it. Both men still managed to hold themselves together and not give in to their desires.

"I AM THE PRINCE OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. LET ME FREE. I AM JOFFREY BARATHEON. I AM THE SON OF KING ROBERT BARATHEON. LET ME FREE. I WILL KILL YOU ALL. LET ME GO."

Both Guardsmen looked tiredly down the Hallway from where their replacements were coming reluctantly. The next two Guardsmen winced already as they walked to their position for the next few hours, while Alyn and Cayn sighed happily for they were finally relieved.

Then all four Guardsmen looked worried when Rickon Stark suddenly stepped from the shadows around the Corner and walked forward till he touched the door that led into the Cell if Joffrey Waters. The young Stark touched the thick wooden door and listened intently to what was screamed nonstop. He looked back to the Guardsmen, a slight smile on his long Stark face. Then he tugged a leatherstring out of his jerkins and at the end of this string there was a Key.

Young Rickon put the Key to its use and opened the thick wooden door that separated everyone from the loud goldenhaired Kinslayer. The Guards tried to stop the young Wolflord but it was too late. The minute that the door opened, the screaming former Princeling stormed out and tried to escape. The Guards stepped forward to stop him and Joffrey was grabbed tightly before he managed to make more than a dozen steps outside of his Cell.

Rickon though, he gave order to let go of the Lannister blooded Kinslayer. The Wolfling looked at the nearly grown Lion and smiled slightly.

"Go. No Guardsmen here will stop you. Just go, run as fast as you can and maybe you will manage to escape these lands."

The four Guardsmen looked aghast at their young Lordling, he was surely not given the rights for this command by his older brother, the acting Lord Robb. The golden haired prisoner though, he wasted no time and started running after the Guardsmen let go of him.

Rickon Stark smirked now openly as he watched together with the Guards to how fast Joffrey Waters was running out of the hallway. All five could hear indignant shouts of people in the next hallway who were likely pushed out of the way by the former princeling. The Guardsmen looked questioning to their young Lordling and Rickons only answer send shivers down the four men backs.

He only said "Golden Prey".

And outside of the Keep, the howls of the Wolves sounded manifold.

...............

A day later  
.. ...  
"RICKKOOOONNN" 

"Yes brother, i am coming.  
You have bellowed. Is something wrong?"

"Rickon, you are my younger brother and i love as i love all my siblings, you know that, don't you ?"

" Of course Robb. I love you too like i love all of our siblings. Why do you even ask me something so normal?"

"If you love me like you love all our other siblings too, you surely try also to respect me too, now don't you Rickon?"

"Of course i respect you Robb, you are my oldest brother and father named you acting Lord of Winterfell while he is away. "

"See Rickon, you know that i am the acting Lord of Winterfell and what i say here is law, like it was when father spoke. Since you know that, tell me my dear brother what i told everyone to do with the Southern git."

"You told everyone of us, that no matter how crazy he acts, he is the prisoner of the King and of father and that we should just ignore whatever he saying, screaming or doing for as long as he stays here, for he is not ours to kill."

"Exactly my dear brother, that is what i said. So tell me, my dear Rickon, since you know what i said, why do you thought it would be a good idea to release the golden Ponce from his prison cell, tell to flee and then start a massive hunting Party going after him, including Arya and Rodrik and all our Direwolf pups. And you of course. I really shouldn't forget that you were leading the hunting Party and that you were the one, at least everyone told me that, that knocked down the git by jumping on him from your horse in full gallop.  
Any explanation would be welcome now brother, any explanation of why you ignored my words."

"Well Robb, you see, the golden menace was bored surely for he was screaming all the time and all the Guards disliked being near him and having to guard him. I just thought that a little hunting would be good for the Guards and would result in making the Southron feeling less bored here."

"Well he certainly will shout a lot less in the future since you broke his jaw by knocking him to the ground brother."

Rickons grin was wide at his brothers words and even Robb himself looked not terrible sad about what he just said.

Both Starks looked at each other and then started laughing out loud.

But Robb soon turned serious again and reminded his little brother once more.

"Do not ignore my words again Rickon, i forgive you this time because it ended well and he thankfully can't annoy us anymore with his endless screaming but take my forgiveness to your actions as an exception and not as norm, do you understand that brother.?"

"Robb, he is a kinslayer, would it have been really so bad if he would have died on the hunt? It is not as if he will not die anyway, sooner or later."

"It is the King's and father's decision, do not take the justice from their hands brother."

"I promise. Was still funny though."

Robb smiled gently again to his smirking brothers words and nodded but reminded him then once again that all decisions about Joffrey were laying in other hands, now far away from Winterfell, then the brothers parted ways.

Rickon went to his lessons and Robb went to the Lords Solar, now his for the near future at least and there was also his beloved wife looking over the latest registers filled with the last crop income.

He kissed his wife gently and tugged a chair closer to sit near her and then the young couple were doing the bookkeeping together while also using this chance to cuddle with each other.

........  
Down in the same Cell from where he was let go barely a day ago, was now laying the moaning and groaning Joffrey. His jaw was broken after the Starkling jumped on his back and brought him to fall, his clothing was not only filthy and smelly anymore as it was already before the hunt but now it was also torn in many places because of the vegetation in which he tried to hide and he also had numerous cuts and scratches.  
His broken jaw was stabilized by the Maester of the Keep, at least that was done. Nothing else though.

Damned Wolves.

......  
In some far away Cell there were sitting two trueborn Lannisters and rued the day that they set their feet into the North.

Damned Wolves.

............................................................  
............................................................  
This TL is my playground to let everyone act a little bit different, Author's Choice.  
This TL is meant to be not taken entirely serious but to let me have fun.

So don't think that Rickon is halfway to Ramsay but think of him more of a halfway grown Wolfling that tries to sharpen his teeth and have some fun while doing it.


	12. A ghostly interlude

At first it was darkness around them and Myrcella tried to give as much warmth as she could while she embraced her shivering little brother.

Tommen was always cold, no matter how hard she rubbed his back and arms though and she felt the same, for they both had died. They both were killed by their older brother Joffrey and dead people were cold and not warm.

Myrcella had never known before she died, that she once would miss the sticky and smelly heat of King's Landing in the Summer so much but then she also would have never thought that she would be killed at such a young age.

She felt tears falling from her eyes and freezing in her cheeks and she looked sadly over to where Tommen was sitting now, his whole face frozen over by tears that turned to ice.

How could be, Tommen asked her a moment or an hour ago, that we are dead but still can cry and still feel the cold but since Myrcella herself didn't knew the answer to that question, she just stayed silent.

How long were they here now, Tommen had asked her, why were they punished so much for nothing, why were they not at peace, so many questions he had asked but Myrcella didn't knew anymore than he did and so she stayed silent.

They were together, they could hold on to each other but otherwise they were alone in whereever they were.

No one was around them no one heard their pain or their sorrow or their fear.

Myrcella just wished for final peace for Tommen and for herself. Just to be at peace.

"Myrcella...Tommen...Myrcella....Tommen...Myrcella....Tommen....Myrcella....Tommen...Don't you want to finally come in and warm yourself near our hearth?"

Myrcella looked up with wide eyes and saw a friendly looking girl coming closer and closer. Tommen stared at this girl too and finally the girl was standing before them and was taking them by the hand and so they stood up and followed her. The girl stepped forward and with each step it grew warmer and warmer and Myrcella and Tommen felt their icy tears finally melting from their cold faces.

And the girl did not stop tugging the siblings with her till they finally stopped in front of a thousand lakes or so it seemed. There were hearths on small islands in every lake and around the hearths there were children dancing and singing and everywhere there was plenty of food. Other children were swimming in the lakes and when Myrcella carefully put her hand into the nearest one, she found out that the Water was warm and pleasant.

"Where are we?" asked Tommen with wonder in his Voice

The girl that still tugged them with her turned to him and smiled while she answered.

"This is the aftermath or the heavens or the final peace, whatever you want to call it. The place without pain and hunger and suffering, the place of peace and joy. You both should have been here normaly as soon as you had died but since you still felt so ashamed and guilty for your parents behavior, the eternal ones thought that you might enjoy the final peace more if you both could work first through your emotions while you were staying in emptiness."

Both Tommen and Myrcella gasped at these words but the girl just smiled gently at them.

"You both don't still feel ashamed or guilty about what your parents did, do you?"

Both shook their heads.

"Then come, enjoy the peace and the end of all problems here."

And with these words the girl started running and then jumped into one of the lakes with screams of joy.

Myrcella and Tommen looked into each other faces and slowly both started to smile and the smile turned to happy laughter while they followed the girl.

......................  
They deserved at least a happy afterlife, right?


	13. Lord Stark and the King talk about taxes

In the Kings Solar.

"HOW MUCH?..."

"Two million dragons for Lord Tywin Lannister and hundred thousand dragons for Tyrion Lannister. A kingly sum Robert. Money you would need to stabilize your Kingdom."

"Damn you Ned, don't start again with how much money i am in debt. I don't want to hear it."

"Your master of coins does a horrible work Robert. I don't know what he does but he is certainly not able to control the correct demand of taxes."

"Ned, you are not really telling me to accept the money for the Lannisters freedom, do you?"

"Don't be ridiculous your Grace, of course not. The Lannisters would try a second sack of the City as soon as Tywin is back in Casterly. There are already rumors on the streets that Kevan Lannister is recruiting every sellsword in Westeros and Essos.

No, i was just saying that the money for the Lannisters would be quite welcome because your Master of coin is at least useless and in the worst case imaginable absolute corrupt and a thief."

"What the hell Ned, you are telling me Baelish is stealing from me? Jon had brought this man to the Court, are you actually telling me that you suspect that Jon brought a thief to me? How dare you say something like that about Jon?"

"Calm down your Grace, i can guarantee you that Jon had no knowledge about any illegal things. Baelish likely betrayed our poor fosterfather too. I ask you to give me free hand to search for more evidence."

"Oh. Of course Ned, find out everything about him and if he betrayed Jon and me of course, then i will introduce him to my hammer repeatedly."

................  
Meanwhile in the Garden of the Red Keep, Lord Baelish stared hatefully at the large man whose thick arm was being held by a beautiful red haired young woman.

Damn Northmen.  
.......................

We will certainly not leave this horrible Pink in our Colors, now will we Harbold?  
It clashes absolutely horrible with my hair. Domeric didn't wanted to listen to me when i talked about that with him, he liked the Bolton Colors, but you are not Domeric. You would do me the little favor and change the bright Pink to a nicer Color, right Harbold?"

"Of course Lady Minisa, they are my Colors for just a few years now. I have no problems to change them to a color you like more."

He smiled at her adoringly.  
Minisa Stark looked back to her fiance with an impish smile and both her hands grabbed his thick arm a bit thighter. She was walking with him for already half an hour in the Garden and had decided to use her Chance to ask him for some favors. He was wonderfully agreeable to all of what she wanted. She decided to be happy that Domeric had been stupid enough to trust his own half-brother and paid with his life for that and that said half-brother and Lord Roose himself then met Ice. It was certainly a nice gift from the Gods that her new fiance adored her way more than her old one and wanted to make her happy.

She snuggled closer to the tall and heavy muscled Lord Harbold Bolton.

" We are to be married soon Harbold, i would certainly like it if you might like to call me Minisa and i would be even more agreeable if you would call me by my nickname Mina."

Harbold swallowed.

"I...i am quite thankful to be married to you soon too....Mina." He answered with a bashful smile.

Mina grinned. He was so shy around her, it was amazing actually. He was nearly as tall as the Greatjon, was nearly as hairy as a Bear, was seven years older than her and a ferocious fighter but he was so shy now that she flirted with him.

Her grin turned to a happy smile.

"Do you have a name of endearment too?. Any nickname that i can call you Harbold?"

" Never had one. You could give me one Mina, if you like to i mean."

He looked hopefully when he said that.

"Can i call you Harby? And you might like to call me Mini, a bit different from how my Siblings nicknamed me. Mini is how only you can call me if you like to and no one else should call you ever Harby."

"Only ever you will call me Harby and i am honored that only i am allowed to call you Mini."

Both looked at each other, smiled while looking into each others eyes and then Lord Harbold gently lifted his fiance up until both the heads were at the same height and they kissed.

At first timidly but with every second that the Kiss lasted, it also got more passionate.  
Minisa buried her hands in Harbold's heavy mane and opened her mouth. Their kiss made them breathless and Harbold grabbed his fiance tighter and tugged her even closer. Minisa wrapped her legs around his waist, slightly hindered by her long skirts. They both moaned happily.

"Oh for all the Gods sake, Minisa Stark, unwrap your legs from your fiance's waist right now. Lord Bolton, i thought you better behaved than to behave so unashamed with my daughter before you are married and in an open Garden no less."

"But father, he is my fiance. You said nothing about Robbs behavior with his fiance days before his marriage."

"Like you said yourself daughter, days before his marriage. Your own marriage is still some time away. Also, Robb and Nella had been not so stupid to present themselves to openly."

"Lord Stark, i would not shame Mini...aahh, i mean Lady Minisa. I ...ahem..i.."

From behind a thick tree a slim and shortish man appeared.

"Honored Lord Hand, i was unfortunatly witness to this display. Lord Bolton was clearly at fault for this spectacle. Your lovely daughter is innocent."

"What are you saying?"

"I was witness that the Lady was overwhelmed. That is what i am saying Lord Stark."

"And who are you that i should trust your words. You did not introduce yourself."

"Oh i beg your pardon Lord Stark. I was so distracted by what i had witnessed that i completely forgot my manners. I have the honor to be the Master of the Coin for our Grace King Robert. I am Lord Petyr Baelish."

Eddard Starks face turned wolfish.

"You are exactly the man that i had wanted to meet. Come, i have to talk to you."

"Of course Lord Hand. Just a minute, if you please would wait."

He stepped closer to Minisa and Harbold.

"It is an unexpected pleasure to find such a flower like you here Lady Minisa. I am sure your Harby would be quite happy with you. I.."

Before he could speak another word though, Minisa punched him in the face and he stumbled back. It was not a slap like some women might do but instead a real punch, done with her slim but hard fist.

"I am the only one that can call Lord Bolton so. Consider this punch a warning."

Petyr Baelish was holding his face and looked shocked.

Ned Stark rolled with his eyes and mumbled something about Wolfsblood.

Harbold Bolton looked turned on.


	14. Littlefinger and the Lord Hand

Tower of the Hand, about an hour later after the incident in the Garden.

There were sitting two men in Lord Eddard Starks Solar, one was Lord Stark, Hand of King Robert himself and the other was Lord Petyr Baelish, Master of Coin for King Robert.

Lord Baelish had recovered quickly after the punch he had received from the Lady Minisa Stark, though Lord Eddard had smiled inwardly with pleasure that his lovely daughter's right hook had managed to split the upper lip of the Master of Coin. His Mina had always been a strong girl.

"Lord Hand, i thank you that you allowed me to visit the Maester before i joined you here, my lip needed to be looked over and the Grandmaester was kind enough to give me something to stop the bleeding.

I have to say that i was quite shocked about your Lady Daughter's behavior though. Not that i would not admit that some was my own fault of course, for speaking so forward to her and her fiance but surely you agree that non the less, your daughter reacted more violent than necessary."

"My daughter, Lord Baelish, is a Stark and thus blessed with the Blood of Wolves. She, like all my children, protects her loved ones by any means necessary, even if the loved ones can protect themselves. She is also fiercely possessive of her loved ones and abhors it if the people that she cares for are slighted by others."

"Of course Lord Stark and it is an admirable characteristic to be so protective and to care so much for beloved ones. Your daughter surely inherited many important qualities from you but i am sure she also inherited quite a lot from her dear Mother."

"My children never knew their mother, she died while giving birth to them."

"Of course Lord Stark, i remember that sad time quite clearly."

"You remember..?"

"Certainly I do. Dear Catelyn wrote me of her being wedded to you a good week after the ceremony. You might surely remember to have heard that i was fostered in Riverrun for many a year, till your Goodfather made me leave. I practically grew up together with your wife and her sister and brother."

Lord Eddard Stark leaned back in his chair after hearing these words. This Lord Baelish had better connections than he had thought possible. Eddard remembered that his brother Brandon fought against a fosterson of Lord Tully for Catelyns honor and hand. A mock fight against a little idiot of a halfgrown manchild, that was what Brandon wrote of, a fight that was over before it had really begun. Catelyn had asked for the fostersons life and Brandon had let him stay alive. Eddard Stark remembered these words quite clearly, even after all these years. His long gone brother had hated writing letters and so every letter that he received from him while he himself was fostered in the Vale was welcome and packed away safely. Even now, many years later Eddard still kept the letters that he had received from his family in a large box in his Solar in Winterfell and sometimes had reread them.

Lord Stark remembered that his brother had written him too, that while Lady Catelyn asked for the life of her fosterbrother, she had not cared for him afterwards but her sister had screamed the wounded boys name and cried annoyingly loud about her poor Petyr. Brandon had written of how annoying this sister of his fiance was and that he believed that she fancied the weakling of a fosterson. Sadly then Brandon had started again how he would preferred not to be married to these fishes at all.

Eddard Stark straightened himself in his Chair. Could it be? Could it really be, he asked himself? Was Catelyn's sister the reason for Petyr Baelish's rise?  
Lady Lysa Arryn, born a Tully of Riverrun and now Widow of his own fosterfather Jon Arryn, former Lord Hand. Could it really be a coincidence that this Petyr Baelish was that talented with money that the Lord of the Vale himself noticed and promoted him till he had became Master of Coin? Or was it more that a foster sister was still enamoured enough with her foster brother to help him rise up?

"Tell me Lord Baelish, since you surely knew all you foster siblings quite the same, do you remember the younger sister of my first wife?"

Eddard Stark narrowed his eyes but barely when he saw the reaction of the other man to the mention of Catelyn.

Just a tiny tick in the jaw of Lord Baelish, nearly to be overlooked if one would not be watching closely. Eddard Stark looked really closely though, he had told Robert that he suspected the Master of Coin to be useless or a thief and with every passing moment that he spent in Lord Baelish's company he became more sure that it was a manipulating thief who was sitting in his Solar and not an useless idiot.

"Of course i remember dear Lysa, a sweet girl, though of course not as lovely as your own wife. The Lord Hand and she had a good marriage, so i was told at least."

"So you would like to tell me that my wife had written you letters after i wedded her but Lady Lysa had not? Where you not as close to Lady Lysa as you had been to my first wife Lord Baelish?"

Eddard congratulated himself to be sounding so clueless and harmless when he could see the startled eyes of the Master of Coin.

"I just met Lady Lysa a couple of times here at the Court after i became Master of Coin, of course. Other than that we had not much contact for all the joy of the Tully family died with Lady Catelyn of course."

Eddard ignored the mention of his first wife completely now.

"You just met Lady Lysa a couple of times here after you became Master of Coin. But as the King told me, you only got this high and important position because Lord Arryn himself brought you from the Vale. That is true, right?"

"I had the honor to have attracted Lord Arryn's eyes upon me after i managed with great talent to make Gulltown much more productive and profitable for the Vale and thus the former Lord Hand himself." said Lord Baelish with barely concealed pride. 

Eddard could nearly smell the arrogance of his prey. This thief thought himself so smart, it was nearly amusing and reminded Lord Stark himself of his dealings with Roose Bolton before he cut of his head.

Time to secure his prey Eddard Stark thought and felt his own, mostly subdued, Wolfsblood rising.


	15. It is getting dangerous for Petyr..

"You had managed to attract Lord Arryn's eyes, so you say. By making Gulltown much more productive and profitable, so you say.  
I would like to know then, how it comes that you had managed to not do the same for the Crown."

Petyr Baelish looked angry after hearing these words from Lord Stark.

"Lord Stark, if you would look into my bookkeeping for his Grace, then you would without a doubt find out that my work is honest. The problems here are laying in the ways of how his Grace and his now dead wife had spent the coins. My bookkeeping is correct but since i could never stop our beloved King from being generous, the treasury is still empty and the King in debt."

Eddard disliked this smug little smile in this man's face entirely. He just knew that the Master of Coin had cheated the Crown out of money, a lot of money.

"Lord Baelish, as Master of Coin you will not address me in my name, for i talk right now with you as the embodiment of his Grace and so you will address me with the title of my office when we talk about the business of the Iron Throne's money, do you understand that?"

The other man looked like he swallowed something unpleasant after hearing the Lord Hand's words but then nodded respectfully.

" Of course Lord Hand, i beg your pardon. I had not meant to be disrespectful, i was just so hurt that you find my work not to your satisfaction."

"I dislike your attitude Lord Baelish and your sheer outrageousness. You actually dare to lie to me, to lie into my face and dare to tell me that your bookkeeping is correct. It is false i say, because you are using false numbers."

"Lord Hand, with all due respect to you and your high office, i must strongly protest against this accusation of yours. The former Lord Hand, Lord Arryn and his Grace himself had never had any problems with my numbers."

"I know his Grace since we were boys together Lord Baelish and his Grace always trusted Lord Arryn, he had certainly never a doubt if Lord Arryn did not have had one. I am just interested in how you managed to betray my predecessor in the first place and when it had started."

The Master of coin managed not quite entirely to suppress his little twitching of his mouth.

"Lord Hand, you have no evidence of any betrayal done by me."

Eddard leaned back his chair and touched his brows with his left hand as if he was in deep concentration. He was silent.

For a few moments only the breathing of both men were to hear in the Solar but then the Lord Hand straightened himself again and stood up. He walked over to the Wall that was the furthest away from the doors and opened a large trunk that was standing there. Then he grabbed a couple of Ledgers from the trunk and opened one.

The Lord Hand looked into it for a moment, nodded then to himself and closed them. He looked up and over to where the Master of Coin still was sitting in his chair.

"You were away these last couple of weeks, you were visiting the widow of Lord Arryn, were you not? Lady Lysa Arryn, sister of my first wife. Your childhood friend as you told me yourself."

Petyr looked slightly startled about this question.

"I was visiting my own Keep and honor and good manners forced me of course to also give my condolences to the mourning widow of my Liege Lord."

"You see Lord Baelish, the King and i and my people arrived here two days after you left. The second day that i was here, i started to look into the financial situation of his Grace. A few days later i ordered my most trusted Bannermen to help my work through your numbers. A couple of days after that, we found a little secret in your books. Namely how you twisted the numbers for a long time with the help of a secret little clever code that gave way to a double bookkeeping system.

You are a really clever man Lord Baelish but i have turned over the years into an rather distrustful man. Your numbers were simply too good to be honest and true."

Ned could see a little vein starting to throb on Lord Baelish's brow.

"I am an honest man Lord Hand and so i tell you honestly that the problem lay not with my numbers, nor do i have a secret bookkeeping, nor a secret code, the problem is simple that the royals are spending way too much coins."

Ned Stark looked to the man sitting in the chair near the doors with a barely disguised wolfish grin on his lips. Lord Baelish tried to look as if he was angry about being called a dishonorable man but he really had started to sweat and was squirming slightly. Just a bit longer, thought Eddard to himself and this thief would surely crack down enough to confess.

"I know the taxes of my lands Lord Baelish and can quite surely estimate the taxes of the southern lands and your numbers tell of less income from taxes than there should be. Evidence enough for me is the fact that i know absolutely for sure all the taxes that i had sent south from my lands over the years and in your books i found them halved.

You can imagine my surprise, my shock that somehow half of the northern coins disappeared before they reached the royal treasury, at least if i should believe your honest bookkeeping."

Petyr Baelish's face became pale at these words and then he jumped so suddenly from the chair and ran to the door that led out of the Solar, open it and escaped the room, that Eddard Stark was too surprised to follow him quickly enough.

But the Master of Coin had not managed to get that far away because just outside he ran into the strong arms of Lord Harbold Bolton who had accompanied his fiance in the walk up the Stairs to talk to Lady Minisas father.

Lord Stark arrived now outside of his Solar too and looked at the squirming Littlefinger who had no chance to escape the tight grip of Lord Bolton.

"Lord Bolton, you would do me a great favor if you would be so helpful and show this man in your hands the trade of your family. I would like some answers from him."

"I could start with Norrey traditions Nir Magnar, it's a light but interesting way to ask people questions which they didn't want to answer."

Lord Eddard Stark looked thoughtful for a moment but then nodded in agreement.

Minisa Stark looked excited, she knew only the old stories about the Norrey way of questioning people and now she might get a chance to actually see it.

Lord Baelish swallowed heavily and started to sweat in fear. He had to find a way to escape these Northerners as soon as possible.

........................................  
Nir Magnar = Mylord in Old Tongue


	16. Lord Stark, Lord Bolton and poor Lord Baelish

I'll have to warn the readers that there will be some light torture scenes.....

..........................................................  
About two hours later Lord Stark went to the King's private Solar, followed by Lord Bolton and Ser Wendel Manderly, who tugged with them a bound and gagged Master of Coin.

The Lord Hand was also accompanied by his daughter Minisa though he actually tried to forbid her from coming with them, only to be met with her scoffing answer that in a few moons time, the ways of her husband-to-be would become hers too and wouldn't it then be better if she could find out in beforehand how she would react to them and have her father by her side while doing so?

And so Lord Stark had allowed his daughter to come along with them to the King and watch the questioning of the Master of Coin.

The King had invited female company into his rooms and was just in the process of disrobing the Lady of the Night when from the outside his door was pounded heavily.

Robert Baratheon growled and stomped to the door, opened it a bit and looked angrily at Ser Preston Greenfield. The Kingsguard tough was innocent, it was not him who had disturbed the Kings evening entertainment but the Lord Hand himself.

Eddard Stark was standing in front of the door and asked the King that he was allowed to enter with his companions.

King Robert was surprised but then nodded and opened the door wide, stepped back into his rooms, looked to his female entertainment who had hastily redressed herself and then he went to his chair, sat down and poured himself a Cup of wine.

He thought to himself that he certainly would need.

The Lady of the Night watched the people that entered the King's rooms and while she was surprised to see a young and pretty woman among them, she was absolutely shocked to see her employer bound and gagged and being tugged between two large Northerners.

Her eyes widened, just for a moment but long enough that Lady Minisa had seen it. The Stark daughter had looked at the Kings female entertainment right at the time that said woman had stared at the Master of Coin.

Minisa Stark touched her father's arm and when the Lord Hand bowed his head to her curiously, she whispered into his ear the reaction that she had just witnessed and her father looked for a moment over to where the whore was standing and then nodded.

Behind them all the door was now closed again and the normally so spacious rooms of the King looked smaller with so many big men inside.

The King straightened himself a bit and looked thus a bit more imposing than it should be possible, seeing that he was clothed in a wine-stained and opened shirt and crumpled jerkins but as he was not only a fat man but also a tall one, he still pulled the imposing look off quite well.

"Why are you disrupting my evening Lord Hand?"

"I had not planned to do so originally your Grace, the situation now calls for it though. Lord Baelish tried to run when i questioned him about his deeds as Master of coin but he was luckily caught by Lord Bolton.

Four men of the royal Houseguards were given were ordered to bring Lord Baelish into the Cells where he should be questioned later but when Lord Bolton and i arrived there half an hour later, the Master of Coin was nowhere to be found.

I ordered a search for him but only a new minutes later Ser Wendel here came from the Keep's kitchen building, tugging a snarling Lord Baelish behind him.

We bound and gagged your Master of Coin and i decided to just bring him here, so that he will be questioned in front of you."

"And your girl, your daughter will watch this questioning too?"

" Minisa reminded me that she will be soon Lady Bolton and that it will be good for her to know how her fiance works."

The King looked surprised to the young and pretty woman who was the oldest daughter of his best friend. Said girl looked happily and full of excitement back at him. Robert Baratheon then looked to the whore that should have made his evening and night a happy one and saw that she had lost all color of her face and that her breathing was rapid but shallow.

Before he could asked her though, Minisa Stark already went to her and tugged her with her over to a corner where two chairs were standing. She pushed the Lady of the Night into one of those chairs and then sat down in the second one.

"We are out of the way father, so that Harbold can assist you if you would like to ask the Master of Coin your questions now and the King can hear his answers."

Eddard Stark sighed, his daughter was so forward and wolfblooded sometimes but then he nodded. Better to be done with now and if Minisa was right and the whore knew Lord Baelish, it would surely be helpful to have her look while this thief was questioned. The Lady of the Night might have some informations too and would surely tell after having witnessed some traditional ways of the Norreys and maybe even the Boltons.

The Lord of the Hand gave his signal and Lord Bolton and Ser Wendel unbound the Master of Coin and then stripped him of his outer layers until he was only standing there in his smallclothes.

Eddard looked to the shivering Baelish and saw the thick ropey scar that went from his breastbone down his belly. This was the scar that this man had received from his brother Brandon so many years ago and for a short moment Lord Stark felt sorry for this slight man in front of him.

Non the less, this man had stolen from the Crown, this man had stolen from Robert, his friend and King and with this thoughts, the Lord Hand dismissed his pity for the old injury and instead stepped to Lord Baelish to tug of his gag.

Ser Wendel then brought a chair from the other side of the room forward and he and Lord Bolton bound the now barely clothed man onto it. Then both men stepped back and settled themselves against the inner side of the door that led to the hallway.

Instantly the Lord from the Fingers tried to bring the King to his side by swearing that he did nothing wrong but Lord Stark gave him a backhanded slap that quieted him.

"His Grace will sit there and watch while i ask you. You will answer me. You will not beg to his Grace. You will answer my questions and only if his Grace finds it necessary to interrupt my questioning and he himself asks you something, then you can talk to him."

Lord Baelish tried it non the less to beg King Robert himself only to receive another backhanded slap. That though worked to make him understand and he nodded with his cheeks rapidly turning red.

The next half hour rapidly went by with Lord Eddard asking about the correct sums, about hidden ledgers, about lost taxes and wrong numbers but the Master of Coin always only denied, his eyes going from the King to the Lord Hand and back to King whenever Eddard asked new questions.

He denied everything, he denied that taxes disappeared without a trace and that numbers were forged. Lord Baelish declared himself a loyal and true servant of the King and that he never would betray the Crown and that Lord Arryn, the former Lord Hand had trusted him and all these accusations of the new Lord Hand were false.

The Master of Coin begged the King to believe him and that most of the problems came from the Queen and since she was now dead, certainly the sums would become more positive in the future.

Robert Baratheon had listened to his friend, had groaned after hearing how much money was missing. He always had thought himself above counting Coppers but these numbers had went so far away from mere Coppers that it was really not forgivable anymore.

Only half of the taxes that North had sent all these years were found in the books, was it the same for the taxes of the other lands too?

Were there only half of the taxes from the Reach and from the Westerlands to be found in the books too?

Where was the other half then?

How much taxes did his treasury receive from the Iron Islands, the Riverlands, the Vale, Dorne, the Crownlands and his own Stormlands?

Well, the King was not sure that he received any taxes at all from Dorne and the Iron Islands, but these two unpleasant lands aside, he really wondered what he and his treasury got from the other lands that he ruled over.

King Robert looked at his oldest friend and remembered the uncomfortable feeling a couple of days ago when Eddard had shown him how much money he had squandered for whores and turneys and other pleasures of live. He had reminded his fosterbrother that he was the King but Eddard had only answered that every Lord of his lands needed to know how much money was available and when to stop.

And now, King Robert thought to himself while hearing all these accusations against his Master of Coin and while listening his best friend stating the yearly sums of the taxes that the North had given and reading the miserable sums that Littlefinger had written down in his ledgers instead, now he found himself becoming angrier with every number that he heard. Now he wondered if all the debts that he had managed to acquire for his pleasures were really as high as it was always told to him.

The Ruler on the Iron Throne would always be the first to admit that he had no head for sums but now he wondered if his beloved fosterfather had been really too trustful too.

They all had believed the young and eager Master of Coin, he had always managed to find new ways of getting quick money for the royal life and pleasures and only told Jon Arryn that they must be paid back with this or that percentage. The debts were piling high but he had still always managed to find money for the King but only money that would be needed to be paid back with interests in the future.

Robert wondered if all these loans would have even been necessary if his treasury had received the true amount of tax money and not only half of it.

In front of him was standing his friend and Eddard Stark closed the Ledger from which he had read just a moment ago. The Lord Hand then asked Petyr Baelish once again if he would finally tell the truth about the sums and forged Bookkeeping but once again the Master of Coin denied it all and instead once more asked the King to believe him.

But the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms just shook his head, gulped down his wine and bid the Lord Hand to proceed.

"Since you are not trying at all to cooperate with me Lord Baelish, i will introduce you now to the traditional questioning of Lord Boltons House."

With these words Lord Stark nodded to his future goodson and Lord Bolton came forward. There was a little bag hanging from his belt and when he stepped to the front of Lord Baelish, he opened it and grabbed carefully what was inside.

In his big hands there were now five spiky iron objects.

"Call them iron thistles in my birthlands, we do. Good things they are. Helping many a thief to loosen his tongue."

He gave four of the five objects to Lord Stark who carefully took hold of them and brought the one left in his hand to the eye level of Lord Baelish.

"It's easy with them you see. I take this one, and put it in your left hand and then i close your hand around it and then i squeeze your hand with mine, so that the spikes enter you inner hands skin."

The Master of Coin closed both his hands to tight fists but Harbold tugged the left one open, finger by finger by finger till he could put this Iron thistle into the palm of the hand and then he closed the fingers of Littlefinger around it and squeezed the hand from the outside.

Petyr Baelish SCREAMED and Screamed andscreamed and Harbold Bolton bound the left, bleeding hand in a manner that still put pressure on the hand to the armrest of the chair.

Lord Stark asked Lord Baelish again a couple of questions but the Master of Coin only cursed all Northmen and so Eddard Stark nodded to Lord Bolton.

Harbold took another one of the Iron thistles from his future goodfather and knelt in front of the chair to which Petyr Baelish was bounded.

He took the left foot of the Lord from the Vale and bent it back so that the sole was touching the chair leg. Then he put the Iron thistle in between the foot sole and the chair leg and put pressure on the outside of the foot.

Blood was running down the chair leg and joined the red pool that was already on the floor and that came from the left hand.

Lord Baelish SSCCRREEAAAMED even louder or so it seemed to everyone in the room and his cursing turned to whimpering when Lord Harbold secured the foot in this position with more rope.

He then looked to the father of his fiance and Lord Stark just nodded and gave him another thistle.

Lord Bolton now grabbed hold of the right foot and repeated what he had done to the left one.

Littlefinger screamedscreamedscreamed and cried and was panting painfully and his tears ran down his face like his blood ran down the chair legs.

"I confess... hhhhh...aaaaa...oh gods i confess. I had used my position for all that you had said Lord Stark...i confess..."

"Where are the real ledgers Lord Baelish, surely you have had written down the real numbers somewhere? Where are they?"

"Hhhhhhhh......hhhhh...aaaaa....in my Whorehouses.....hhhhhh....aaa...hhhh..gulp..i have the correct books in my whorehouses."

The Lord Hand nodded solemnly.

"It had not been neccessary for you to feel this pain, if you would have just been honest to me. I would asked his Grace for you to be simply beheaded or sworn into the Nightwatch. You could have really spared yourself this pain."

The bound man scowled after hearing the Lord Hand's words and even though he was in great pain, he spit at Lord Stark and yelled at him.

"TO HELL WITH YOU STARKS. YOU AND YOUR DAMN BROTHER HAD STOLEN MY CATELYN FROM ME. IT IS ALL THE FAULT OF YOU DAMN STARKS THAT I WAS ONLY LEFT WITH LYSA. THIS STUPID COW IN BED INSTEAD OF CATELYN. AND MY BEAUTIFUL CAT DIED TO GIVE BIRTH TO YOUR DAMN BRATS. YOU DAMNED STARKS.."

Everyone was quiet after hearing these words. Lord Stark gave not much heed to the words about his first wife because Catelyn came into the marriage bed the same way as he, Eddard Stark himself did. Both had never bedded anyone before and the wedding night was a mixture between embarrassment and curiosity.

The screamed words about Lady Lysa Arryn though, they roused the King out of his thoughts.

And so, before Eddard could stop his former fosterbrother, Robert Baratheon had already stormed over to the bound Littlefinger, roared how he dared to cuckolding Lord Arryn and buried his thick fist in Petyr Baelish's face.

Unfortunately the King had been so enraged that he had forgotten to not put all his considerable power into the punch. He had not controlled himself and actually managed to kill the bound Master of Coin by punching so hard that Petyrs nosebase went straight into his brain and also his entire head snapped back from the impact with such a force that the hit broke his spine.

The Master of Coin was dead instantly.

The King was huffing enraged and Eddard Stark asked himself how many whorehouse there might need to be searched for the real tax ledgers.

Harbold stood up quickly and looked over to Ser Manderly. This was not the outcome that anyone had planned for.

In the corner though, Minisa Stark stood up from her chair and tugged the Lady of the Night with her till they both stood in front of her father.

"Father this here is Shae and she has quite some knowledge about the now late Lord Baelish's establishments and possible hiding places."

All men alive in the room looked to the two young women after hearing these words and Eddard Stark hoped that this whore had told the truth to his daughter.


	17. Lord Lannister's in-family problems

Winterfell

He was finally separated from his son, his only living child now, after having been forced to share the small cell with him for countless weeks. He had never before experienced much patience or joy in the company of his illbegotten son, but after having been forced into this close living with him, even the last barrier was nearly reached.

He could not remember anymore what the last spark was, which then finally had set the glimmering madness in his mind up into a burning and all control consuming Fire, nor did he really care to even think about it anymore.

It had felt good though. It had felt good to strangle the creatures short neck, to feel him struggling against the fatherly rage, against the ever more tightening hands, against the oncoming death. The possibility, the good Chance to finally get rid of this murdering thing, this creature whose birth murdered its own mother, it all was just so righteous.

And then he had been hit, over his head, on his arms, his fingers had been forced to open, his legs had been kicked apart and he had been forced away from this gasping, twitching thing which was his son.

He would have needed just a few more moments, just a few more seconds of denied breathing and he would have had no more living children.

They had brought his last sadly living son away, out of this cell, closed the door after them and he was finally alone. Blessed silence. No more sharp tongued dwarf near him, spitting on the proud legacy and twisting the honor of his family. But no, that had been done by all three of them, had it not?

All three of them, of his own children, had ruined his legacy, his honor and the pride of his noble and ancient House.

The door opened once more and a boy stepped inside. No, not a boy anymore, but the acting Lord Stark. He scoffed. The acting Lord was still a boy to him though.

"What do you want, boy?"

.............  
The young Lord who had entered the Cell, stayed for a moment in the doorway, looking at the older Lord who had just asked him what he wanted. Then though, he calmly walked into the small, barely lit room, his young handsome mien showing no emotion whatsoever. He stopped in front of his prisoner and calmly looked down to the sitting older man.

If the Lannister Lord would have been standing, then he would have had the advantage of the superior height but since he remained sitting, the younger man was towering over him.

The prisoner looked up to the young Lord and repeated his question, this time with a clearly snarling voice.

"What do you want, boy?"

The younger man remained silent once more, his mien still showed no emotion and he just kept standing there, directly in front of the Lion Lord.

After a few more heartbeats, the older man once more opened his mouth as to say something but now, the young Lord finally reacted.

"Do you know why you are still alive, Lord Lannister?"

The older man flared up his nostrils at the blunt question and the snort which followed, was accompanied by an arrogant sounding harruumphing noise.

"I am still alive because I did no crime and because there would be War if you would have murdered me, after all you are holding me here to force my brother's hands to stay still and because you are still only a boy and you would not even dare to put me to sword without the word of your father and the King." answered the Lion Lord in a dismissive tone.

The younger Lord's lips turned up into a slight smile.

"The word of the King is the only reason why your grandson is still alive, for King Robert had put him under the guard of Winterfell and thus under mine, till he knows for sure that he would not fall to the same crime which your grandson had committed so gleefully. That is the only reason why this sibling murderer, this Kinslayer Joffrey still has his head, just because King Robert needs to find out if this little monster is his own son or not.  
You though, Lord Lannister, are partly right about why you are kept here, because with you here, your Westerlanders are forced to remain peaceful but if you would had succeeded in killing your son, then I would still have taken your life for being a kinslayer, for the King put you under the laws of my family and no matter how important for peace and how valuable you are to us all, our laws are strict for kinslaying. So be glad that you have not managed to murder your son or your head would have been departed from your neck by my own sword."

The sitting man sneered when he heard the words of the younger one.

He looked up into the face of the standing young man and his thin lips and some muscles under his skin moved just a tiny fraction, so that his stern mien now looked like he was smiling sardonically.

"You boy, you would not have the stomach for beheading me. With the King's words or without, with your father's words or without, you yourself would simply not have the guts to behead another Lord for something like this, for some in-family problems."  
And with these mocking words on his lips, Lord Lannister was now standing up, directly in front of the younger man, so close that barely a hand could fit between their bodies and the old Lion used his extra couple of inches in heightto look down onto the young Wolf.

In the first few heartbeats of both men now standing and so close together too, nothing happened besides that Lord Tywin's lips turned a tiny fraction more upwards. Then though, the young Wolf stepped backwards and away from the towering Lannister Lord, though not by much more than the span of two hands and then, before the older Lord could react in anyway to the younger man's changed standing, Lord Robb punched the older man hard in his belly.

The Lion Lord coughed out his breath because of the hard, short punch and before he could even try to react, he received another hard punch, this time directly in his face. The Lion's nose gave way to the hard force, the bones clearly damaged and blood streaming from both nostrils.

The older man tried to bring up his own arms, either to just defend himself or to attack the younger one, but he just was not quick enough, for he already was punched for a second time in his belly and then received two quick punches onto his manhood. These were really too much, the Lion Lord snapped forward first and then crumbled downwards because the last two punches just forced him to the ground.

And while the proud Lion was now half laying and half cowering down on the floor of the cell, painfilled grunts and wheezes now the only noises from his mouth, the young Wolf was standing tall above him, his young mien still calm and his breathing unbothered and even.

He looked down at the older man.

"As long as my father is in the South, I am the ruling Lord of these Lands and as the Lord here, I absolutely abide the laws of our Lands and I see to it, that all others abide them too, even other Lords. So, you Lord Lannister should be thankful that you were interrupted in your handling of your in-family problems or you would have now not just tasted my fists for your behavior but my sword instead for kinslaying. You should not forget this lesson."

After that, the young Lord turned around and left the cell, while the older Lord was still on the floor in pain.

The old Lion watched the young Wolf leaving and he narrowed his eyes slightly. He promised himself to give this painful attack back to the young Wolf tenfolds.  
..


	18. The Lord Hand and Shae

King's Landing, three weeks after the death of Lord Baelish  
.........  
Solar of the Lord Hand  
.........  
The Lord Hand was sitting in his great chair behind his large desk and was looking to the young, small woman sitting in a comfortable smaller chair on the other side of the desk.

He was wearing black leather breeches and a dark grey cotton gambeson, his only decoration was the sign of his office as Lord Hand.

She was clad in a light grey cotton dress with a light blue silk bodice, her dark, shortish hair was unbound and her large, dark eyes were emphasized by kohl and silver powders. She was beautiful, that was undeniable, beautiful and helpful and way too young, as Ned Stark reminded himself in his head. He looked at her, banning his baser interests from his mind and concentrated at the more important task at getting this helpful woman the reward which she deserved.

"You proved yourself to be indisputable useful in helping us to discover all of hidden documents of the late Master of Coin. His Grace gave me free hands in rewarding you, so tell me Shae, what you want for your help and I do my best to give it to you."

The young woman looked at him with a light smile on her pretty and full lips, her eyes seemed to gleam with satisfaction and then she leaned forward a bit, so that the front part of her bodice seemed pressed tight against her breasts.

He kept his eyes on hers and her smile for deepend thus. She stood up from the chair and in just two steps, she was standing then on the front of the desk. Shae put her hands shoulderwide apart from each other on said desk and leaned forward with her whole upper body. Her face was now only a few handspans apart from the Lord Hand who was sitting still on the other other side of the desk.

He was still keeping his eyes on hers and her smile deepened a bit more and tiny dimples appeared.

The Lord Hand cleared his throat.  
"Like I said, tell me what you wish for as reward for your help and I will do my best to give it to you. Without your assistance, we likely would have never found all secrets hidden by the late Master of Coin and so.."

He did not managed to finish his sentence, for the young woman had leand forward even more and pressed her lips on his. He groaned softly but then leaned backwards and thus away from her. She giggled lightly.

"I would not have taken m'lord for shy about kissing, not with how much children m'lord has. Or had m'lord never kissed your wives?"

"Is that what you wished for as reward for your assistance then, Shae? The knowledge if I kissed my Lady wives? That is a cheap reward for your help in getting Lord Baelish's records." he asked with a bit of curiosity clearly to hear in his gruff northern Voice.

She laughed out loud about his words and went away from her position on the desk with a twinkle in her eyes. Then she stepped towards the Windows and her face turned serious.

"No m'lord, I wish for a house of my own. A good House in a good part of the City and for an honest business to make honest money with. I wish for a good name for myself, for respect from people around me and for no more need to whore myself to someone to survive." she answered in a at the same time strong but also vulnerable way.

The Lord Hand Eddard Stark nodded with a respectful gleam in his eyes and his lips tugged upwards into an honest smile.

"That is a good wish, one which is fully understandable and easy to fulfil."

The young woman smiled back at the Lord Hand after hearing this words from him and then her lips widened into an impish grin.

"Though I must admit that I would not be against it to share your bed with you m'lord, at least till I have a home to call my own for real." she said in her sweet lilting voice.

Lord Eddard Stark stared at her in surprise over her boldness. He gulped audibly, his eyes wandering down from hers and down her body. Her grin widened.

Finally his eyes went back up and met hers once more.

"From your own free will?"

"Yes, from my own free will, m'lord. You are so honestly trying to only look into my eyes all the time, even though you know that I'm a whore, that I am really curious if how you behave with a women if you are in bed with a naked one."

The surprise vanished from his face while he listened to her words and his face cleared as he was now understanding her interest in him and the reason behind her words. She was clearly curious why he had not treated her like she had been treated by others before.


End file.
